the river at the bridge, which he was directed to see destroyed before leaving.

In the afternoon, under cover of a thunder-storm, which for a while hid all objects at a little distance from view, the enemy again occupied the hill from which they had been driven in the morning, but kept out of sight till after the bridge had been destroyed and the rear guard had taken up its line of march, when, just as the batteries were limbering up to leave, they commenced a rapid fire upon the retiring column. That night the advance of the First Division of the corps entered Warrenton, the other division being on the road leading there, but from 3 to 5 miles from it. The enemy had retreated in the afternoon toward the river. General Sigel, who had been on the right when we were on the river, facing the south, was now, by our change of front, in advance. He was to have intercepted the enemy, but for some reason was not able to come up with the before they recrossed the river at Sulphur Springs on a bridge they had built at that place. General Sigel followed up the north bank of the river to Waterloo Bridge, at the crossing of Luray turnpike.

On the 24th the whole corps was at Warrenton and on the road thence to Sulphur Springs.

On the 25th I received your order* of that date, directing the Third Corps to occupy Warrenton, &c. This same general order required Major-General Sigel's corps to occupy Fayetteville to the left of the Third Corps, General Banks' to occupy Bealeton Station to the left of General Sigel's, and General Reno's to return to Kelly's Ford, on the Rappahannock.

The line thus intended to be established would touch the river only on the extreme left at Kelly's Ford, the center and right being thrown back or refused, and the right held by the Third Corps, resting on the extremity of the Bull Run or Piedmont Ridge at Warrenton.

This order, so far as concerned the Third Corps, was immediately carried out by placing Reynolds' division on the road to Sulphur Springs with Meade's brigade thrown forward to within 4 miles of the Springs, which are at the river; Ricketts on the Waterloo road, with Tower's brigade in advance within 4 miles of the bridge, and King's division near the town, and the forks of the road above mentioned, which issue from Warrenton at nearly right angles to each other, and are good, broad turnpikes, the Waterloo road leading nearly west through the Blue Ridge to Luray, and the Sulphur Springs road nearly southwest toward Culpeper; Buford's cavalry brigade was posted between Tower's advanced brigade and Waterloo Bridge (over the Rappahannock), and Bayard's brigade was to take post on the Sulphur Springs road between Meade's brigade and the river.

On the night of the 25th I received from you, by telegraph from your headquarters, near Warrenton Junction, an order+ that, leaving Reynolds in reserve, I should make a reconnaissance with my corps across the river at Sulphur Springs, and sending me an open order for General Sigel, which I was to read and send to him, directing him to force the passage of the river at Waterloo. This order was immediately forwarded to General Sigel by the hands of one of my aides-de-camp, Captain F. Haven, and was received at 2 o'clock a.m., whilst the general was on the retreat in the night from Waterloo to Warrenton, through which his troops were moving all night long.

Early the next morning (the 26th) Ricketts' division, which was on

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*See General Orders, NO.-, in "Correspondence,etc.," Part III,p.641.

+See under also of 9.30 p.m. among inclosure (p.67) to Pope's report.

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