I accomplished anything, even to giving me information whether the enemy has sent any considerable force of troops from the Valley. wanted to get between Strasburg and the remaining force. For this reason I have remained quiet here for the last day or two. The reports of the people are that the troops have been ordered back to Richmond. As yet, I have no good reason to believe that any have left. P. H. SHERIDAN, Major-General. P. S.-I have just heard from Averell. As I supposed, the affair was not of much consequence, and he is going back to Martinsburg. P. H. S. Lieut. Col. T. S. BOWERS, WASHINGTON, September 1, 1864. Assistant Adjutant-General, City Point, Va.: Scouts just up report as follows, to 30th ultimo: No signs of any movements from the Valley. One passenger train running daily between Staunton and Richmond-up in morning and down at night. Three freight trains weekly through to Staunton. No troops seen on railroad but returning convalescents. Trains on Fredericksburg railroad only run to Hanover Junction. Building bridge over North Anna; will be done 15th instant, when trains will be run to Hamilton's Crossing. General Lee reported severely wounded at Weldon railroad fight. GEORGE K. LEET, Assistant Adjutant-General. HDQRS. DEPARTMENT OF WASHINGTON, 22D ARMY CORPS, Major-General SHERIDAN, Washington, D. C., September 1, 1864. Commanding Middle Division, Harper's Ferry: Major Waite has returned from Upperville in the vicinity of Snicker's Gap; reports no rebel forces in that vicinity except Mosby's. He brought in thirty men and thirty horses, and destroyed a good deal of property. No wagons can be found to bring off supplies in any quantity. C. C. AUGUR, Major-General, U. S. Volunteers. HEADQUARTERS MIDDLE MILITARY DIVISION, Maj. Gen. C. C. AUGUR, Commanding: Your dispatch of this evening relative to Major Waite's command received. All quiet here. JAS. W. FORSYTH, Lieutenant-Colonel and Chief of Staff. ALEXANDRIA, September 1, 1864. Colonel TAYLOR, Assistant Adjutant-General: COLONEL: We have information that the rebels made three attacks on Falls Church; the first last night, another this morning, then at 12 o'clock to-day; our loss, one man and one horse captured. I have sent what cavalry I have to re-enforce my picket-line, thinking they may attack them to-night. H. H. WELLS. HEADQUARTERS CAVALRY BRIGADE, Lieut. Col. J. H. TAYLOR, Near Fort Buffalo, Va., September 1, 1864. Chief of Staff and Assistant Adjutant-General: COLONEL: I have the honor to report that last night at about 10.30 o'clock one of our picket-posts was attacked near this camp. The attacking party was driven off, however, with the loss to the rebels of one horse, and, it is believed, one man wounded. About the same hour the picket-posts on the Braddock road and on the road to Falls Church and Annandale were attacked simultaneously and driven in. This morning at about 6 a. m. one of our pickets about half a mile west of the village of Falls Church was attacked and one vedette captured. Late to-day two of our picket-posts between here and Annandale were attacked at about the same time by a force of between twenty and thirty men; 5 men were captured and 7 horses, while 4 men escaped. At about the same hour the picket-post on the Little River pike toward Fairfax Court-House from Annandale was attacked and 1 sergeant and a horse were wounded, 2 men and 3 horses captured. In consequence of these continued attacks I have strengthened the picket-posts to one corporal and four men each, and have dismounted the entire line, with the exception of the non-commissioned officers at each picket station. They are directed to build a cribwork of fallen trees to intrench themselves by day and to prevent being charged over by mounted men, and at night the directions are now the same as I have always given-that after dark the vedette should be stationed near the road, concealed, and the rest of the picket moved to some point near him within 200 yards, also concealed. A force of 100 men has been sent out from the Sixteenth New York, divided into two parties, with directions to examine the country in our vicinity. One hundred men from the same regiment were also sent to Annandale to remain several days, that a more effective stockade might be completed there. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, H. M. LAZELLE, Colonel Sixteenth New York Cavalry, Comdg. Cavalry Brigade. HDQRS. DEPARTMENT OF WASHINGTON, 22D ARMY CORPS, Colonel LAZELLE, Washington, D. C., September. 1, 1864. Commanding near Falls Church: I have reliable information that Mosby is still lying in the woods in front of your lines and expects to make an attack to-night somewhere upon it. Please have all your men on duty notified of this, that they may be on their guard and take proper precautions. If not successful to-night he proposes to remain until he strikes some important blow. Respectfully, yours, C. C. AUGUR, Major-General, Commanding. HEADQUARTERS CAVALRY BRIGADE, Captain LORD, CAPTAIN: Information has been received here, considered reliable, that Mosby, with a considerable force, some 100 or 200, is lying in the forest in the vicinity of our picket-lines waiting to strike a blow. It is of the utmost importance that you use the utmost vigilance against surprise, both of your pickets and stockade. You had better increase the strength of each of your picket-posts by two dismounted men each. Do this after dark, and let the men remain on until morning until further orders. Please see that no more horses are sent out on your picket-posts, except those of the non-commissioned officers in charge. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, H. M. LAZELLE, Colonel Sixteenth New York Cavalry, Comdg. Cavalry Brigade. HEADQUARTERS, 1 Annandale Stockade, Va., September 1, 1864. First Lieut. EDWIN Y. LANSING, Actg. Asst. Adjt. Gen., Cavalry Brigade, Fort Buffalo, Va.: SIR: I have the honor to inform you that last night, at about tattoo, our pickets on the Old Church and on the Braddock road were attacked, all at the same time, and driven into camp. The picket stationed near the Old Church had just changed its position toward this side of the lane leading from Cox's house, when the vedette heard the tramp of horses coming from Cox's toward the lane. Mr. Cox had about a minute ago passed up that avenue with a team, which caused to diminish the sound of the advancing guerrillas. The vedette challenged; answer was, "Friend." "Dismount and make yourself known" had hardly escaped the vedette's mouth when the rebel leader gave the command "Charge, and give it to them." They charged and fired their pistols, whilst the picket returned the fire and ran toward the pike where another picket was stationed, which also fired and proceeded to camp. The attacking party, as far as I can learn, consisted of from fifteen to twenty men. Simultaneous with the above attack about eight or ten other guerrillas made a descent onto the Braddock road picket, who responded to their fire and ran across the field into camp. The other pickets around the camp were not disturbed and remained in their places. Our communication with Fort Buffalo was entirely cut off by those attacks. About 10 p. m. we heard two shots, one in the woods near the Old Church, the other one near the Braddock road, which I took to be signal shots. It would have been sacrificing men and horses to attempt to send messengers to your headquarters, as I was sure all roads leading to Fort Buffalo were invested by them. I would respectfully request to be informed whether there could be other means and ways found to communicate with headquarters in case of an alarm here (for instance, rockets), which would not be as expen-. sive as the probable loss of men, horses, and arms by attempting to run the gauntlet to Fort Buffalo. I furthermore respectfully request to be furnished with assistance to complete my stockade and abatis, after which I think we can cope with four times our number, but as it is now I have hardly men enough to keep up the original picket-line. Mr. Cox was here this morning to report the matter to me. As he said, he was coming from Washington, D. C., when two [men] came up to him in his orchard, taking him to be a peddler. He told them he was Mr. Cox, and asked whether they had seen any rebels, thinking them to be U.S. soldiers. "We are rebels," they replied. "My name is Wren, Mr. Cox. What is the news in Washington?" "Not any, except McClellan's nomination," was Mr. Cox's answer. They then left, and immediately after he heard the sound of horses' feet, he judged from a dozen to twenty; then the firing commenced; ceased. Heard another party of about the same strength passing through the road on the north side of his house, galloping toward the Old Church, and ten minutes after another party running in the same direction. I had three of my men watching Cox's house since 3 o'clock this morning. They could not learn anything decisive in regard to Mr. Cox and his sons. Wren, the leader of the first party of Mosby's men, has his father living in the neighborhood of Falls Church. Trumbull, who lives on the road to Burke's Station, tells me that Kindrel's men are about also. I think the most of those men are even at present roaming around our neighborhood in the woods. I arrested a man by the name of Kidwell, by orders from your headquarters, charged with giving information to Mosby. I do not know whether he is the right one, as there are more than a dozen Kidwells living around Fairfax County. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, J. SCHNEIDER, Capt., Sixteenth New York Volunteer Cavalry, Comdg. Stockade. HEADQUARTERS DETACHMENT NINETEENTH ARMY CORPS, September 1, 1864. Lieut. Col. T. S. BOWERS, Assistant Adjutant-General, Armies of the United States: I desire to call the attention of the Lieutenant-General commanding the Armies of the United States to the enormous list of absent sick on my report for August 31, 1864, viz, 4,187, and, on the other hand, to the very small number who are present sick, viz, 435, and on this to base a suggestion to the general commanding that the absent sick, most of whom are in the Department of the Gulf, shall be immediately sent North. Our troops have steadily improved in health since they have come North, and I have no doubt that if those whom we left behind sick were sent to the Northern hospitals we should have in one month an accession to our force from 2,000 to 4,000 men. If allowed to remain in the hospitals of the Department of the Gulf I doubt if one-tenth of that number will ever rejoin their regiments. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your most obedient serv ant, W. H. EMORY, Brevet Major-General, Commanding. ORDERS.] HDQRS. CAVALRY, MIDDLE MILITARY DIVISION, Berryville, Va., September 1, 1864. The First and Third Divisions of Cavalry will move to-morrow a. m. at 3 o'clock to the north side of Bullskin Run. The main column of the First Division will march on the Charlestown and Berryville pike, and take position on the north side of Bullskin Run, the left resting on the pike. The pickets of this division will move back part of the way on the Summit Point pike; thence by country roads to Rippon. The Third Division will march on the river road, via Kabletown, and take position on the north side of Bullskin Run, the right resting on the pike and connecting with the left of the First Division. The pickets of this division will fall back part of the way on the Berryville and Snicker's Gap pike; thence down the river road, following the division. There must be no bugle calls sounded for this movement. By command of Brigadier-General Torbert, chief of cavalry: WM. RUSSELL, JR., Assistant Adjutant-General. ORDERS.] HEADQUARTERS THIRD CAVALRY DIVISION, The forage received just now will be issued to-night, and the command will return to-morrow morning at 3 o'clock to a position near Kabletown, on the north side of the Bullskin Run, marching by country roads from the rear of its present position. Order of march: First Brigade, with Fitzhugh's battery, ambulances, and ammunition train; Second Brigade, with Pennington's battery. The picket-line will not be relieved till after the command has been withdrawn, and will then march to the rear, following the general direction of the column, and will be assembled when it shall have appeared that the command has not been followed by the enemy. There will be no bugle calls sounded in executing the movement. By command of Brigadier-General Wilson: L. SIEBERT, HEADQUARTERS THIRD DIVISION, CAVALRY CORPS, Brigadier-General MCINTOSH, Commanding First Brigade: GENERAL: General Merritt is going to send a regiment across our front and the Front Royal pike to reach the Valley pike. You will, therefore, direct one regiment from your brigade to move down the Winchester road and make a demonstration against the enemy's forces that may be found near the Opequon, sending a patrol of one squadron toward the Millwood pike, to be detached from the regiment when it shall have got nearest to the Opequon. General Chapman will be directed to make a similar demonstration on the Millwood and Winchester pike. By command of Brigadier-General Wilson: L. SIEBERT, |