driven back a distance of about 250 yards by a largely superior force of the enemy. Thirty-fifth Regiment lost as follows: Killed, 5; wounded, 5; missing, 4.

On the 26th of August the Fourth Mississippi Regiment, under Colonel Adaire, followed the enemy in retreat to his second line. At 4 p. m. made demonstrations upon the third line, and finding the enemy too strong, after one hour's sharp firing, retired, with a loss as follows: Killed, 2 officers; wounded, 4.

On the 27th of August this brigade formed part of reconnoitering force, under Major-General French, to Turner's Ferry.

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

C. W. SEARS,

Brigadier-General.

Major D. W. SANDERS,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

Numbers 707.

Report of Colonel William H. Clark, Forty-sixth Mississippi Infantry, of operations August 2-5.

LOVEJOY'S STATION, September 18, 1864.

In obedience to order from the lieutenant-general commanding, I herewith transmit a detailed report of the operations of the skirmish line of Sears' brigade before the western defenses of Atlanta from night of August 2 to the night of August 5:

On the night of August 2 I was ordered to take the Forty-sixth Mississippi Regiment and 120 men of the dismounted cavalry and relive the troops then occupying the picket ditches of Sears' brigade. I deployed my men at 9 p. m., covering a front of 1,200 yards with my vedettes, in groups of four men under the command of a commissioned officer. The picket-line was about 800 yards in front of the main line, and the vedette line still advanced farther 500 yards. The vedettes being required to be vigilant, reported on the morning of the 4th of August that the enemy was moving to our left. Hitherto nothing more than the usual sharpshooting had occurred. At 4 p. m. a sharp and sudden firing announced the fact that the vedettes were attacked, when soon after they appeared retreating and skirmishing with the enemy, who, having arrived within 250 yards of the picket-line, were received by a volley from the ditches, which caused them to fall back. In consequence of the thickness of the woods through which the enemy approached we could not determine the number, but they were reported by the lieutenant commanding the vedette line to be in one line of battle, preceded by a heavy skirmish line. Having after the retiring of the enemy thrown forward my vedettes as skirmishers, with orders to halt as soon as the enemy was felt, and until with the picket-line when it came up, I dispatched a note to Colonel Barry, commanding brigade, desiring him to send me a regiment to hold the picket-line, fearing lest I might be flanked and cut off by a superior force, while I charged the enemy with regiment and the dismounted cavalry. The support having arrived I assembled my command on the center in one rank in order that I might embrace the whole scope of woods in my front, the flanks resting on open fields. At the command forward every