The field division hospitals were situated during the month at Patrick's Station. The following give their constitution immediately before the commencement of the campaign:

The following is report of sick and wounded treated in the field hospitals during the month:

Remaining in hospital February 28, 1865.

Rebels wounded.

Sick.

Wounded.

Total.

Admitted since February 28, 1865.

Aggregate to be accounted

for.

Early in the month, in expectation of the commencement of the spring campaign, the medical wagons belonging to the hospitals, those of brigades, and the boxes of the ambulances were well stocked with field supplies drawn from the purveyor at City Point. The surgeonsin-chief of the Second and Third Divisions, in view of the recurrence of such actions as Reams' Station and Boydton road, where, while the engagement was in progress, all the medicine wagons were by order lying in park many miles in rear, had recourse to a plan by which they would be enabled to render themselves for a short time independent of the contents of their Autenrieth and Perôt wagons. They caused the boxes of two of their ambulances to be filled not with the beef stock, hard bread, &c., directed by the supply table, but with battle supplies, chloroform, morphine, lint, plaster, rollers, and whisky. The ambulances so loaded were marked, and the ambulance officer directed that whenever a movement was ordered in which a portion only of the hospital train was permitted to participate these ambulances should be of the accompanying portion.

About this time, also, a diminution in the amount of transportation. allowed the department was ordered to the extent of depriving the corps of seven wagons-reducing the number from forty-four to thirtyseven. Of these thirty only were available for carrying hospital and brigade medical supplies, seven being forage wagons, the property of the ambulance train. In order the better to accommodate the amount to be carried to the diminished means of transportation everything of questionable utility during a campaign was turned in to the purveyor.

As a further preparation for anticipated active operations an application was made by the acting medical director to have the drummers and musicians of the command report at the commencement of the campaign to the surgeon in charge of the field hospital. It was acceded to. The surgeon in charge was directed to place them under command of the commissioned combatant officer attached to his hospital, who, with the assistance of two or three non-commissioned officers, was expected to keep up an efficient discipline among them, and when work of any description was to be performed by them to superintend its performance. During the campaign of 1864 although it was expected that during an engagement drummer boys and musicians would report to the hospital for duty, only a few of them did so, the majority straggling over the country and doing as they pleased, there being none to exercise any authority over them, to take notice of their absence and punish them for it; and the services of those that did report were of no value, since no one was specially intrusted with their direction. In fact they were looked upon rather as an incumbrance than as affording any assistance. Those belonging to the First Division, however, were in a measure organized and disciplined, and were found to be useful in proportion as they were so, doing guard duty, and in times of need rendering very effective service as stretcher-carriers. This led to the application for the order at this time.

On the 14th instant a telegram from headquarters, Army of the Potomac, medical director's office, directed the immediate removal to the depot, at City Point, of all those unable to accompany the command on a march, and that in future the hospitals should be kept in as mobile a condition as possible. In accordance with these orders, on the 15th, 16th, and 17th instants, there were sent to the rear 779 sick and 71 wounded; of the sick a large proportion were trivial cases that within a few days were returned from the depot to their regiments for duty. Very early on the morning of the 25th instant the enemy assaulted, captured, and were driven out of Fort Stedman, on the right of the Petersburg front. At 7 a. m. the Second Corps was placed under arms and ordered to expect marching orders at any moment. The idea that prevailed was that the corps would be called upon to move off to the right to aid in repairing the mischief effected by the enemy there, for though the news of the surprise was known to us that of the subsequent success of the Ninth Corps had not reached us. At 9 a. m. the corps was moved out of the fortifications and advanced in line of battle westward for fully a mile, until the works of the enemy were discovered; a brigade of the Third Division was sent forward to charge the first line of picket pits. This they did, losing but very few men in the assault. The wounded were speedily conveyed to Patrick's Station, where a couple of tents were pitched to accommodate them. Nothing of any moment occurred after this until about midday; an active picket shooting, it is true, was kept up, but the casualties were very few. At noon a second attack was made by the Third Division upon another line of rifle-pits; it was equally a success. After this the picket shooting became particularly sharp and continued so during the afternoon until 4.15, when the enemy, having massed Mahone's division in Miles' (First Division) front, assaulted his line with great vigor, but unsuccessfully. The fighting was very sharp and confined at first for the most part to that portion of the line held by the Irish Brigade (Second), but it gradually extended toward the left, implicating the whole of the Third Division and one or two regiments on the right of the Second.

General Griffin's division (First), of Fifth Corps, formed our support. The musketry continued with all its original activity for two hours, and it was past 8 p. m. before the enemy ceased to renew his attempts to break the line. During the course of the afternoon the Sixth Corps, on our right, assaulted the enemy's intrenched picket-line.

As usual during an engagement the medical officers unattached to the division field hospitals reported at the point where the stretcherbearers of each brigade transferred the wounded to the ambulance wagons, giving such attention to the patients as was imperative before sending them to the rear. The ambulance corps worked zealously, and very shortly after the termination of the engagement had all the wounded lodged at Patrick's Station. The hospitals had been re-established as soon as the musketry had indicated a line of battle fire; all the tents had been pitched and the operating staffs of the different tables had reported for duty. The surgeons in charge were instructed that their patients were required to be in condition to be moved to City Point by 10 a. m. of the morrow, and that immediately on their departure the establishments were again to be held in readiness for a sudden moveThe casualties were as follows:

ment.

No casualties occurred in the medical or ambulance departments. Cars reported at Patrick's Station at noon of the following day, and by 1 p. m. the wounded were all on their way to the depot at the point. All had been attended to, every operation deemed necessary performed, and every wound dressed before the departure of the train.

On the 26th the troops retired from the line of captured rifle-pits to within the fortifications, where they lay quietly until the morning of the 29th instant. On the 28th the command was again placed under marching orders; the sick and wounded, 142 in number, that had accumulated in the hospitals were sent to the point, and the establishment at Patrick's Station broken up and held in readiness to move after the troops.

Special requisitions filled by the medical purveyor had supplied the deficiencies caused by the fight on the 25th.

At 6 a. m. of the 29th the campaign was commenced, the Second Division moved across Hatcher's Run, on the Vaughan road, and was followed by the Third and First. The forenoon was spent in perfect. ing the line of battle, making connection with the Fifth Corps on the left and on the right with the Twenty-fourth. The line extended east and west from the Quaker road to Hatcher's Run, north of the Vaughan crossing, the First Division being on the left and the Second on the