II.

On the 8th marched to Todd's Tavern and constructed breastworks. About 2 p. m. the division was moved toward Corbin's Bridge, and engaged the enemy. Regiment lost but 1 officer, wounded. Withdrew to our works at 6 p. m., near Todd's Tavern.

On the 9th marched to Po River, crossed, deployed as skirmishers, and advanced about 2 miles, when we halted and lay on picket all night in close proximity to the enemy, who was busy fortifying. About 4 p. m. on the 10th, the enemy attacked our right, which was driven back, and, coming in our rear, the regiment was ordered to move out by the left flank, and took another position to cover the recrossing of the troops, which done the regiment followed and was sent out on picket to the right. Lost 3 wounded and 1 missing.

On the ft the regiment was sent out to reconnoiter the enemy's position; moved up the north bank of the Po about 2 miles, crossed, deployed as skirmishers, and advanced down the river to find his left and develop his force, drove in his pickets, charged a skirmish line sent to oppose us, driving them into their works, and maintained our position for half an hour within 300 yards of their entrenchments. Having accomplished the object of the reconnaissance, we recrossed the river and returned to the picket-line. Lost in this affair, 3 killed and 15 wounded. At 11 p. m., having been relieved from the picket-line, the regiment moved to the left of the Sixth Corps, where the brigade had preceded it, having marched all night; it reached the ground where the First Division was massed for the assault just in time to form in column without halting. Aligning its ranks as it advanced, the regiment moved up in gallant style, and was the first to reach the works (striking them immediately at the Angle), which were gained after a force hand-to-hand fight with the bayonet. The two brass pieces just at the left of the Angle were fired once only, and just as the regiment had gained the works. A rush was made for them; the gunners captured and sent to the rear. Here it became mingled up with men of other regiments coming upon its left, and with them charged along in rear of the works, rolling up the rebel line of over a mile, capturing a large number of prisoners, guns, and colors. When about a mile from the point where the works were first struck we encountered another line, running nearly perpendicular to the line which we were rolling up, and which sharply contested out advance. Having unavoidably become much broken up, and being opened on by a heavy fire from the woods on our right, we were obliged to fall back, losing over half the ground we had taken from them, though the men who thronged their works had been made prisoners and sent to the rear. The regiment was then reformed and moved with the brigade to the woods on our left, where we threw up works. The enemy having retaken the works on the right nearly to that Angle, we were ordered to that point, and crept along on the outside of the works until our line overlapped the enemy's half the length of the regiment, our right resting near the point where the large oak tree was cut down by musket balls. We fought them for half an hour over the breast-works within reach of their muskets, losing a large number in killed and wounded, when they made signs of surrendering, waving handkerchiefs on their reamers. We ceased firing and called to them to come over, when the whole line for 70 or 80 yards rose up and started to come in.