up in our rear. General Crawford faced to the left, met and repulsed the attack, and was more or less engaged all the afternoon. The Ninth Corps skirmishers had kept along on our right in the general direction of ours, and when we finally halted and formed line they joined those of Bartlett's brigade, which had been placed upon our right to make the connection. Thus we remained until, at 10 p.m. we were relieved by Ninth Corps and went to the rear.

May 31.-A quiet day.

June 1.-12 m. we moved to the front in rear of Ayres and Bartlett, facing southwest. 6.15 p.m. quite a smart skirmish commenced on our front, and this was soon followed by an attack all along the front of our division. Our brigade has moved from point to point on the line as danger threatened, but it did not become engaged. The first line drove back the poor rebels, who did not know who they were butting against.

June 2.-After changing position of our brigade to the left we were ordered to be ready to march to Cold Harbor upon being relieved by Burnside, but at 4 p.m. we were suddenly ordered to the right to repel an attack. A severe thunder-storm came up at 5 p.m. When it was over the rebels assaulted Bartlett's brigade, which had been moved to the right. We were immediately placed upon the reverse side of one of our old breast-works; the foe, however, carried the assault toward our left, when we were moved by the left flank and placed in rear of the junction of Ayres' brigade with Cutler's division ready to support either. This latter movement was ended at 5 p.m. The Twenty-first [Pennsylvania] Cavalry joined Sweitzer's brigade to-day, armed and equipped as infantry.

June 3.-At about 6 a.m. Burnside on our right began to push the enemy. Sweitzer's brigade was ordered to advance across an open field in its front and join Willcox's division, who formed Burnside's left and rested in a piece of timber, occupying a line of our old works. On the left of that was an old field or orchard at the farther end of which the enemy had established his line, which was in the edge of a wood. On our left of this field was another belt of timber, which reached back to the line of Bartlett's brigade. I was ordered to take the Twenty-second Massachusetts and Fourth Michigan and deploy them as skirmishers, and advance upon the enemy in front of Sweitzer's brigade, my right to connect with Willcox and my left with Bartlett. The direction was about left oblique from our breast-works. I deployed and advanced under a heavy fire, my right just hitting the right place; as soon as they came to the timber, in which Willcox rested, they were comparatively protected. The Fourth Michigan on my left, and some of the Twenty-second Massachusetts extended into the timber on that side of the opening and were well covered, but the center came under as galling a musketry fire as I ever experienced on a skirmish. The men availed themselves of fences, trees, and old outhouses in the clearing for protection. The brigade charged after us, but naturally went straight ahead from their breast-works, and this brought them under cover of the timber on the right and somewhat lapped upon Willcox's division. The skirmishers and the main body remained in their position all day constantly engaged. My sharpshooters, on my left, got into an advanced position in the timber on the left-hand side of the orchard and annoyed a battery in front very much. We had driven the enemy's skirmishers some hundred yards, but he was now established in a line of earth-works, and did not seem inclined to