the column and by the
skirmishers within hearing of that order--a mistake which, being as
quickly discovered, Lieut.-Col. Booker endeavored to remedy by the order
to "Re-form column."

The Court, with respect to this part of the affair, are of opinion that
to adopt the idle rumor that the enemy's force was partly composed of
cavalry in a country where such an arm could be of scarcely any value in
attack, or to assume, even for a moment, that a mounted corps which he
could not see was advancing at such a rate as to render it necessary
to give the words of caution which he used, was ill-judged, and was the
first act which gave rise to the disorganization of his force, which
then followed.

This Court further find that at this moment, and when the officer
commanding had, as before mentioned, given the order to "Re-form
column," he perceived that the column was rapidly falling back. The
attempt to re-form not having been successful, the men became mingled
together, and that the effect of the mistake just referred to became so
perceptible in the disorganization of the column at a moment when, in
the opinion of this Court, to have given the order to advance would have
had the best effect in the encouragement of the force, and in a very
short period would have effected the rout of the enemy. The officer
in command (apparently hesitating as to whether he should advance or
retreat) unfortunately gave the order to retire, and the bugles having
taken it up at the advanced posts of the attack, our force began to fall
back; and notwithstanding the exertions of the officers, who in every
case shown in the evidence before the Court behaved in a very steady and
energetic manner to rally their broken ranks, the column had retreated
too far in the direction of Ridgeway before the advanced parties had all
came in to render this possible. This being the state of the force at
the time, the officer in command (finding it impossible to rally) with
the concurrence of the next senior officer, whom he consulted, decided
upon falling back on Port Colborne by the road over which he had
advanced.

And the Court lastly finds, that the whole of the wounded and sick were
brought with the retreating column, and that it reached Port Colborne
suffering much from fatigue and hunger, but without further casualties
than those which are already known in the official reports of the
affair.

G. T. DENISON,
Colonel. President.

J. SHANLY