The afternoon after leaving the North Anna river we brought up at the Pamunky, which we crossed on pontoon bridges. The enemy was strongly entrenched not far from the river and fired on our skirmishers. Everything indicated hot work. Our regiment was ordered into an advanced position and we built breastworks in plain sight of our adversaries, expecting that they would open on us with their artillery every moment, but for some reason they did not do so. AN ASSAULT. Early the next day our division, led by Gen. Francis C. Barlow--and a braver soldier never lived--assaulted the rebel lines and to do so had to cross a swampy ravine fully exposed to the fire of the enemy, who were protected by earthworks. The losses of our troops were severe. INVITED TO COME FORWARD. The musicians of our regiment were back under the cover of some woods and while the engagement was at its height we saw big George B.--our sergeant major--coming across the field on a run toward us. George explained his mission in a few words, which were about as follows: “Col. Whistler wants you boys to come up on the fighting line and help the surgeons take care of our wounded, and you better come p. d. q., too, for the old man was pretty mad when he missed you.” It is needless to say we got there lively, but while we were carrying some wounded past our brigade commander he remarked that we were endangering their lives more by trying to remove them during an engagement than to leave them on the ground until the fighting was over. We thought it the safest, however, to obey our colonel, and after that we took good care that he did not have to send an officer to hunt us up. The casualties of our regiment in this engagement, which was called the battle of Totopotomy, were seven killed and seventy-seven wounded. THE REBEL YELL. It is seldom that one in the ranks has a chance to see much of a battle except what may be happening in his own regiment. Such an opportunity came to my chum and me at Totopotomy the afternoon of May 31st, 1864, when we witnessed the charge in open field of a Confederate division and heard for the first time the real Rebel yell, which was so unlike the cheers of the Union soldiers.