Miscellaneous Excerpts of ORs Pertaining to the 53d PVI

May 30, 1864.-Yesterday evening General Hancock ordered the chief of artillery to have epaulements for his guns thrown up during the night on a crest on right and left of Shelton's house, and to be connected by rifle-pits, but by some error the works were placed nearly one-fourth of a mile in rear of the Shelton house and were useless. A most singular incident occurred here to-day. We had several guns in position behind a rifle-pit which ran through the yard of the Shelton house, occupied by the troops of Brooke's brigade. these guns were firing rapidly at some batteries of the enemy placed on the other side of Swift Run.; In the Shelton house were several ladies who had refused to leave, notwithstanding the danger; they had taken refuge in the cellar and had with them a few negroes, who, when the fire was about the hottest, became delirious from fright, and picking up a fire shovelful of live coals from the hearth, rushed out into the yard and threw the colas into one of the unlimbers, exploding the ammunition it contained, killing 2 men I believe, and burning the eyes out of one or two others. The negroe, who was unhurt, ran into the house again as if the devil was after her and nearly scared to death by what she had done. Colonel Brooke, Fifty-third Pennsylvania Volunteers, witnessed this affair with many other officers. I myself arrived on the ground just as the men whose eyes had been burned out were being taken off the field. It was not supposed that the negroes had any intention of doing such mischief. She was so crazy that none believed she knew what she had done.

In the midst of this confusion and crowd a soldier attracted my attention by shouting out to me, "Major Mitchell, here is a rebel general." I at once rode up to General Steuart, who gave me his name and rank, and I directed a captain of the Fifty-third Pennsylvania Volunteers to conduct him to General Hancock. When Steuart was taken to the general, the latter, who knew him before the war, held out his hand, saying, "How are you, Steuart?" The latter replied, "Under the circumstances, I decline to take your hand." "And under any other circumstances I should not have offered it," said General Hancock.

During the month the following organizations were furloughed in a body as veteran volunteers; Nineteenth Massachusetts, Seventh West Virginia, Companies D, E, I, and  K, Eighty-first Pennsylvania, and Companies E and G, Fifty-seventh New York  Volunteers. The following organizations returned from veteran furlough during the month: Companies A, B, C, D, F, G, and H, Sixty-first New York; Companies A and B, Sixty-ninth New York, Eight-eighth New York, Fifty-third Pennsylvania, Seventh Michigan, Fifty-ninth New York, and First Delaware Volunteers.

While in Charlestown I appointed Colonel J. R. Brooke, of the Fifty-third Pennsylvania Volunteers, military governor, the better to preserve order. About 100 officers and soldiers of the Confederate Army were found in the town, consisting entirely, it is believed, of surgeons, hospital attendants, convalescents, and sick. Twenty-six were sent to the provost-marshal at Harper's Ferry, and 38, wounded and unable to be removed, were paroled. Time did not permit the paroling of all who were severely wounded, as they were scattered throughout the town, requiring more time than we had for the purpose, to find them.