our left. Here, throwing out pickets to the front and on the flanks, we lay quietly until about 2 a. m. on the 30th, when we withdrew to our original position. I regarded our situation during the night as extremely critical. We had penetrated the enemy's lines; he was lying in unknown force very near us, and our scouts reported a battery in position within 300 yards of us. One of my pickets was shot during the night within 100 yards of the regiment.

The officers and men all behaved admirable while under fire and amid the confusion resulting from a night attack.

I append a list of casualties, marked A,* which fortunately was small.

Very respectfully,

B. F. CARTER,

Lieutenant-Colonel, Commanding.

SEPTEMBER 8, 1862.

CAPTAIN: I have the honor to report the operations of my regiment in the action of the 30th ultimo:

After our return to the position of the previous day early in the morning of the 30th we rested on our arms in line of battle during the day. Soon after 4 o'clock in the afternoon we were ordered to advance in the same order of battle as the day previous, the First texas, on our left, being the directing battalion. Company A (Captain S. H. Darden) was deployed as skirmishers in our front early in the morning; was engaged with the enemy during the day. Passing through the skirt of wood we rested in we advanced through the first field, thence through the second skirt of timber to the next field. While yet in the wood a heavy firing of musketry commenced on the right of our brigade, but no enemy appeared in front of my regiment. As we merged from the wood I discovered a battery stationed on the hill beyond the small creek, supported by infantry in strong force, who opened fire on us. The distance to the creek at the bottom of the hill was about 300 yards. We advanced in double-quick down the hill to the creek, where we halted in accordance with your orders, and were pretty well protected by the banks and some trees growing there. Here the regiment, somewhat broken in our rapid advance, has quickly reformed. We had halted scarcely a minute when I discovered the right of the brigade advancing up the hill, and immediately ordered the regiment to charge the battery. Two or three guns on the right of the battery were directly on front of my regiment, at about 100 yards' distance from the creek, on a small eminence sloping gradually to the bottom, the ground being bate and smooth. We were greeted with a terrific fire of grape, canister, and musketry, and my principal loss was sustained here. The regiment gallantly responded to the order to charge, and carried the hill and battery on the run, utterly routing the supports and killing the gunners, who stood to their guns until we approached to within 20 paces. I hurried the regiment rapidly forward to the next valley beyond the hill, where a dry, shallow ravine afforded some protection from the fire of the enemy, who had taken refuge on the next hill, covered with a growth of short pine, and were keeping up a sharp fire of musketry on us. The Eighteenth Georgia formed in the same ravine on my right, but the First Texas had disappeared

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*Nominal list omitted. It shows loss of 2 officers and 9 men wounded.

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