stream. The ground rises from the stream on both sides, in some places quite into hills. The Sudley Springs road, in crossing the stream at right angles, passes directly over one of these hills, just south of the stretching back away from it some hundreds of yards to the forest. This is the hill on which the Henry house stood. To the west of it is another hill - the Bald Hill,so called -which is, in fact, a ridge lying between the roads, and making about the same angle with each, and running back to the forest. Between the two hills is a small stream - a tributary, I think, of Young's Branch.

The two brigades under Brigadier-General Tower and the two batteries from Ricketts' division were taken from north of the Warrenton turnpike on the Sudley Springs road to the hill first above mentioned to the farther side of the first woods. Whilst reconnoitering in advance of these woods - the positions which the enemy would be likely to occupy in the direction indicated by General Reynolds - I was joined by that officer, and, seeing no evidence at that time of the enemy to the left, I accompanied him across to the Bald Hill ridge, on which, next to the main woods, his division was taking up its position, and on which, next to General Reynolds, General Schenck was coming up from the Warrenton road. Whilst these troops were forming on this ridge, which commanded a view of the enemy in the northwest angle of the two roads before mentioned, and which overlooked the Warrenton road, we saw the effects of the attack which had been made by Major-General Porter in front with his own troops and King's division of my corps. Seeing that it was resulting disastrously for us, and that our troops were falling back, I returned immediately to the Henry House Hill to see to the placing of Tower's two brigades and the two batteries. On my way I met one of your staff with your message, asking if in ordering over this force I had not taken too much from the right. But soon after meeting you, as you came up the Henry House Hill from the right, and representing the state of affairs in front, with your sanction I sent Tower's command over to the Bald Hill, to the right of General Schenck. The line thus formed, in connection with that on the north of the turnpike, held by Reno, Sigel, and other, commanded the Warrenton road and protected the retreat of Porter's command, then moving down from the front.

The line had not been formed any too soon, for the enemy, after our troops in front had retreated, made the expected attack, and assailed the troops on the ridge both in front and on their left flank. Those of the enemy who had passed to the south of the Warrenton turnpike, as represented by General Reynolds, soon after opened a severe fire from the southwest of the Henry House Hill on the Bald Ridge, and at the same time prepared to move down to take the woods on the Henry House Hill itself. The next step was to provide in some way for the defense of this hill, and as at this time some battalions of regulars, of Sykes' division, came up the hill, they were sent to the left to occupy the woods which covered it. The Rhode Island battery, under Captain Monroe, and some time after two brigades of Reynolds' division, under Generals Meade and Seymour, which had been withdrawn from the extreme left of the front to form a line across the road behind which General Porter's troops might rally, were brought over from the right and relieved the regular battalions. The latter rejoined their division, which formed another line on the hill to the east, in rear of the Henry House Hill and at a few hundred yards distant from it. Reno's corps