that the enemy was outflanking us on the right. I retired back about 300 yards and again went into battery, supported on the left by the Thirtieth Massachusetts. The infantry were just ordered to lie down, and had but executed the movement when a perfect volcano of fire opened from a piece of wood on our left and front and at the same time a battery opened on the right and front. I fired on the infantry on the left with canister and on the battery with shell. The Thirtieth at the same time commenced a sharp fire on the infantry. The enemy's battery was soon silenced, but the infantry attempted to charge three times, but were as often driven back, and at length retired wholly from the field. We were now ordered to fall back to a new position, which we did in good order. All of the horses on the second piece being killed or wounded, it was drawn off by hand. The men are in excellent spirits and ready for another brush with the enemy.

The enemy fired very badly, nearly all their shots passing over our heads.*

Very respectfully,

GEORGE G. TRULL,

Lieutenant, Comdg. Company B, Mass. Light Arty.

Col. N. A. M. DUDLEY,

Comdg. Right Wing Second Brigadier, Baton Rouge, La.

No. 15. Report of Captain Charles H. Maning, Fourth Battery Massachusetts Light Artillery.

BATON ROUGE, LA., August 6, 1862.

SIR: I have the honor to submit the following report of the casualties and incidents attending the Fourth Battery Massachusetts Volunteers, under my command, in the action with the enemy on the 5th instant:

At the commencement of the engagement we were about 1 mile from the point of attack, and, by order of General Williams, the right section, under Lieutenant Reinhard, advanced to the right of the Twenty-first Indiana Regiment, Colonel McMillan, where it lost 1 man killed and 4 wounded. Three horses were killed and 6 wounded. The Twenty-first Indiana aided in bringing off one of the guns, when they retired, by order of General Williams. The center section, under Lieutenant Davison, advanced with the Ninth Connecticut Volunteers, Colonel Cahill, and did good service in shelling the enemy. They had one horse wounded. The battery was then united, and took position under Colonel Dudley, Thirtieth Massachusetts Volunteers, where we had one man wounded and one gun disabled by the smashing of a wheel (in crossing a ditch), which was replaced by a spare one and the gun brought off. Here we were much exposed to the fire of the enemy, who had flanked us. We retired in good order under Colonel Dudley. Then, under the order of Colonel Cahill, the battery took position on a hill, shelling the enemy at intervals throughout the remainder of the day, who returned the fire, two of their shells going directly over us.

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*Nominal list of casualties omitted; losses embodied in revised statement, p. 51.

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