s terminating in
the capture of the Weldon Railroad had commenced. That railroad being on
the then extreme left of our line it was deemed advisable, as a feint,
to keep the enemy well engaged on our right. For this purpose the 2d and
10th Army Corps had been assembled, as secretly as possible, near
Bermuda Hundreds, and on the morning of August 14th had advanced upon
the enemy's works near Deep Bottom.

"This regiment accompanied the force as far as Deep Bottom, where, with
the 7th United States Colored Troops and one light battery, it was left
to defend the post, under command of Colonel Wooster. The two corps
moved farther to the right and front, and soon became warmly engaged.
During the fighting General Butler, desirous to ascertain the strength
and position of the enemy immediately in our front, ordered Colonel
Wooster to make a reconnoissance with this regiment and the 7th United
States Colored Troops.

"This was successfully accomplished, the men in this their first
encounter with the enemy, displaying great coolness and bravery. Soon
after this we were relieved and ordered to join our brigade, then
actively engaged at the front.

"We set out in a drenching rain storm, and after a tiresome march
reached the battle-field about dark. Our forces had suffered a bloody
repulse, and had just finished burying our dead under a flag of truce.
The burial parties with their bloody stretchers were returning, and the
sharp crack of the rifle began again to be heard, and so continued with
more or less fierceness during the night.

"At daylight hostilities, except on the picket line, were not resumed.
The opposing forces lay and narrowly watched each other's movements.
Towards night, however, it was discovered that the enemy was massing in
our immediate front, and just before sunset they commenced the attack.
The contest was sharp and short; a fierce roar of musketry, mingled with
wild yells and the deep bass of cannon; a fainter yell and volleys less
steady; finally a few scattering shots and the attack was repulsed. As
this movement of the two corps on the right was merely a feint to cover
more active operations on the left, it was resolved to withdraw the
forces during the night. The movement began just after dark. We marched
to the Bermuda Hundreds front, and pitched our camp near Point of Rocks.
On the 24th of August, 1864, the 10th Corps relieved the 18th Corps in
front of Petersburg. Here we remained, doing duty in t