This I had done as ordered, relieving the pickets by twenty men of Company B as skirmishers, under command of Captain R. P. Speer, and Company K by Company G, under command of Captain J. H. Evans. Our skirmishers soon became warmly engaged with the enemy, and John H. Clough, private of Company B, was mortally wounded in the mouth, jaw, and neck. He has since died in hospital. Private Frederick Jacob, Company B, was dangerously wounded in lower jaw and neck. John Parmenter, private Company B, was also severely wounded in the neck and right shoulder. Harlow C. Perry, James Watson, and John A. Rarrick, privates of Company B, are missing since the same time, and are supposed to have been either killed, wounded, or captured; at all events they fell into the hands of the enemy. George Brown, private Company D, died in ambulance May 26. These casualties in Company B all occurred on the left of our skirmish line in a very short time, and were owing to the fact that the enemy in line, with skirmishers a short distance in their front, were advancing upon the front and left flank of the skirmishers of the regiment in our brigade to our left, whose skirmishers fell back on our line, when the enemy in line, changing direction, advanced on the front and left flank of our skirmishers, thus exposing them to a cross-fire from the enemy's skirmishers. The left of our skirmish line then fell back, in obedience to orders from Captain Speer, leaving the right of our skirmish line still engaged with the enemy's skirmishers. About this time the regiment to our left fell back, passing in our rear to the right along the ravine, and a portion of that regiment, with the colors, was rallied and formed in a line perpendicular with our main line, running down front left of my command to the ravine in our rear, and, together with the left wing of my command, opened a brisk fire on the enemy, effectually checking their farther advance. Whilst this was going on in our immediate vicinity, Company K, on the extreme left of our brigade, was engaged with the enemy's skirmishers, and after the skirmish line of the regiment to the left of my command fell back, Company K, who was being relieved by Company G, was forced to fall back also. Companies K and G appeared to have been entirely flanked, at least one battalion of the enemy having gained a position on the other side of the ravine in the rear of our line, with its left resting in the ravine and its right running up the hill on the other side of the ravine. This battalion of the enemy in this position appears to have advanced on Companies K and G, which had fallen back to the ravine. Of course these companies, finding by this time that the regiment immediately on their right had fallen back, fell back also. Whilst this was occurring, Charles D. Warner, private of Company G, was slightly wounded in the right leg (this wound has proved to be serious), and Corpl. Elmore Miller and Private James T. Wood, of the same company, have been since missing. Soon after this I received orders to fall back with my command, which was done in good order, passing through the skirmish line of the Third Brigade, which occupied the position which I, until then, supposed was held by the Fourth Iowa Veteran Volunteers, and, passing round the right of the Third Brigade, I took position in their rear, to the left of the Fourth Iowa Veteran Volunteers. Here we remained but a short time, and about noon of the 27th took position for rest in the field to the right of the road running perpendicular to the main road leading

11 R R-VOL XXXVIII, PT III