husband had started that afternoon to Maryland to avoid them. The young man, David Light, they took with them. I could learn nothing of him in Smithfield. He had not been brought there by the rebels. The citizens believe he was conscripted and taken in another direction. I could not trace them from Bunker Hill. I am, colonel, respectfully, your obedient servant, Lieut. Col. D. S. WALKER, Assistant Adjutant-General. No. 12. Report of Brig. Gen. Samuel S. Carroll, U. S. Army, commanding Second Infantry Division, Department of West Virginia, of operations March 30. CUMBERLAND, MD., March 31, 1865. SIR: I have the honor to report that a party of McNeill's band of marauders, numbering some thirty or forty, last evening shortly before dusk came to the railroad about three miles east of Patterson's Creek; finding a small party of railroad brakemen there, they forced them to take up a few rails and turn the track so as to throw the engine off, headed in an embankment. About 7 o'clock, as the train from the east approached, they fired a few shots, when the engineer immediately whistled down brakes, and the speed was slackened enough to prevent a complete smash-up, though the engine and two cars ran off the track. The guerrillas then entered the cars and robbed the male passengers of their money, watches, and, in some instances, overcoats, hats, and boots; opened some of the mail bags, taking part of the contents; they then fired the train and took off, with two captains and two lieutenants that were ou board as passengers. They did not have the train in their possession over twenty minutes; no one was hurt. Troops from Patterson's Creek and Green Spring Run arrived on the spot about an hour after the occurrence. I got the information about 8.30 o'clock, by telegram from Green Spring Run, and immediately telegraphed to the command there to send a company out to Frankfort to try and head the guerrillas off; also telegraphed to New Creek for 150 cavalry to start immediately toward the Romney road, for the same purpose. The commanding officer at Green Spring Run had sent a company before he got my dispatch. The cavalry from New Creek started shortly after 9 o'clock. I sent from this place, as soon as the cars could be got ready, 150 infantry on a train with two engines, to the scene of the disaster. They got there about 11.15 o'clock. The passengers were transferred to the passenger cars sent down for them, and got here about 1.30 o'clock. The troops returned shortly after, finding there were as many men there from Patterson's Creek and Green Spring Run as could be used to advantage in clearing the debris from the track. The guerrillas set the cars on fire, but it was extinguished before doing much damage. The result of the affair is the loss to the male passengers of their money, watches, and jewelry, and, in a few instances, part of their outer clothing; the loss of a small part of the mail, severe injuries to the engine and one passenger and one baggage car, and slight injuries to three passenger cars. Troops from this point could have reached there an hour sooner, had not the engine been thrown off the track here, just as the train was starting, by the mismanagement of the railroad employés. The first man who arrived here was the mail agent from the captured train, who jumped off at the first shot, ran three miles to Patterson's Creek, took a hand-car there, and was here in about an hour. The commanding officers at Patterson's Creek and Green Spring Run do not appear to be responsible. The distance between these two points is about eight miles, and there is no station of troops between them. There is no road along that line. The guerrillas came down through a gorge, as they are liable to do in fifty other similar places along the line of railroad. I have made such disposition, by having the pickets from the different stations connect, as, I think, will guard against such accidents in the future, but it is an impossibility, with the troops now on the road, to preclude the possibility of such things happening until the country in front of the railroad is entirely cleared of these guerrilla bands. It is a hazardous enterprise for those engaged in it, and I do not believe will be attempted often. The company that went out from Green Spring Run has returned without any success, but I will not hear from the cavalry that went from New Creek before some time to-morrow, and I hope they will have accomplished something. Sir, I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, S. S. CARROLL, U. S. Army, Brigadier-General of Volunteers. General C. H. MORGAN, No. 13. Report of Lieut. Stephen H. Draper, Twenty-first New York Cavalry, of operations April 11-12. HEADQUARTERS SCOUTS, MIDDLE MILITARY DIVISION, Winchester, Va., April 13, 1865. SIR: I have the honor to report the following as the result of a scout to Timber Ridge, Va., on the 11th and 12th instant, viz: When seven miles out on the Romney pike I learned from the guide that was to pilot me that there was a quantity of cotton and tobacco concealed at different places on the ridge, also that about 100 rebel soldiers had been known to be in and about the same neighborhood but a day or two previous; hence my request for re-enforcements in order to take sufficient time to find the cotton and tobacco, and remove it, if possible, without loss of life. The re-enforcements reached me at the first point above named at about 12 o'clock in the night, when I immediately started, searching such places as the guide advised, but found no rebels. While waiting for the re-enforcements above named, a detachment of my scouts had a skirmish with a detachment of rebels, wounding one of the rebels; the balance escaped under cover of the darkness, it being about 9 o'clock in the evening. Said rebels represented themselves as being General Hancock's scouts. Upon my arrival at Mr. Meredith Capper's, where I was informed a part of the cotton and tobacco was concealed, I proceeded to the house and found Mr. Capper, and told him my name, business, and that I should require the services of himself and team in removing the goods to Winchester. He appeared very much surprised at my knowing of the whereabouts of the articles, and said he supposed of course I knew the parties concerned, and acknowledged that Thomas Wills, a noted rebel and Confederate conscript officer, was one of the main speculators, also Mr. Julius Waddles, who claims to be a Union man (but who is not so represented by many of the inhabitants in that vicinity whom I believe to be Union). I found 112 bunches of cotton yarn (called by them cotton), five pounds in each bunch, at Mr. Capper's, and 23 bunches at Jacob Oats', near Mr. Capper's, and 151 bunches at Mrs. Joseph Eaton's, three miles west of Mr. Capper's, on Capon River, all stored at the several places above mentioned. There is another man concerned in the same kind of traffic, by the name of Silket (John or Aaron), and there are also 3,400 bunches of cotton reported undiscovered by us, and 15 more boxes of tobacco. The tobacco delivered here consists of eight boxes, marked to contain 883 pounds. One box was broken open and distributed among the Fifth New York Cavalry by one of the officers belonging to it, after - Colonel Boice took charge of it, and eleven bunches of the cotton were missing upon delivery, aud, I am informed, some of it was seen strapped on the saddles of the Fifth Cavalry. For reference see Sailor, General Torbert's scout. Mr. J. W. Hook, a loyal citizen, was unfortunately wounded through mistake, the facts of which you have been informed verbally. One prisoner was taken in bed at Jacob Oats', with arms and uniform lying on the table at his bedside. Several articles were taken at Mr. Anderson's, a loyal citizen, under circumstances at the time well calculated to brand the parties as rebels, but after the mistake was discovered many of the articles were returned, and the balance will, I trust, be returned soon. Several other articles were taken at other places, in a cowardly and unsoldierly manner, some by my scouts and some by the men of the column supporting me. Some of the articles so taken I have discovered, and am taking all steps possible to find the rest and punish the guilty parties. The rebel force above mentioned left for up the Valley on the 10th instant, and the whole country in that vicinity I believe to be free from rebel soldiers. Cotton yarn seized, 286 bunches (about 5 pounds each); delivered here, 275 bunches (about 5 pounds each). Tobacco seized, 9 boxes (over 100 pounds each); delivered here, 8 boxes (over 100 pounds each). I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, S. H. DRAPER, Second Lieutenant, Twenty-first New York Cavalry, Commanding Scouts, Headquarters Middle Military Division. General MORGAN, Chief of Staff, Middle Military Department. No. 14. Report of General Robert E. Lee, C. S. Army, of operations March 5-7. HEADQUARTERS, General Rosser reports that on the 6th [5th], with a few of his men, he attacked the enemy near Harrisonburg, who were guarding prisoners taken at Waynesborough, and captured a few prisoners. On morning of 7th again attacked near Rude's Hill. Having detained them for a day and night at the river, he caused them to retire in haste, abandoning the only piece of artillery they had and their ambulance. He annoyed them a great deal, and enabled good many of our men to escape. General JOHN C. BRECKINRIDGE, R. E. LEE. Secretary of War. MARCH 3-8, 1865.-Operations about Warrenton, Bealeton Station, Sulphur Springs, Salem, and Centerville, Va. Report of Capt. Joseph Schneider, Sixteenth New York Cavalry. CAMP SIXTEENTH NEW YORK CAVALRY, Vienna, Va., March 8, 1865. Pursuant to orders from regiment headquarters, I left Vienna, Va., with 200 men, at 4 a. m. March 3, 1865, to report to brigade headquarters, where I received instructions to proceed on the road to Centerville, to cncamp in a convenient place, and await the arrival of detachment of the Eighth Illinois Cavalry. About 8 a. m. this detachment arrived, under command of Captain Russell, who ordered me to take the rear with my detachment. We marched on the Warrenton pike to within one mile of Warrenton, where we encamped for the night. March 4, we marched through Warrenton, Lieutenant Goulding, with his platoon, having the rear guard. In this town the Eighth Illinois Cavalry left the column in scores, spreading themselves all over the place, dismounting, and entering the houses. I had a great deal of work to make them rejoin the column. After getting outside of Warrenton I found one corporal and four men having the extreme of the rear guard; they seemed to be vigilant and had their pistols drawn. They were instructed to allow no stragglers behind them. I then rode to the head of my command, ordering the chiefs of platoons to see that nobody would leave the ranks without orders. Not more than one-half hour had elapsed since my leaving the rear when one of the rear guard reported that about a dozen guerrillas had captured one corporal and three men of Company I, Sixteenth New York Cavalry; one man of Company. L had been in advance of the extreme rear and consequently escaped. The guerrillas were dressed in our uniform, and the meu mistook them for members of the Eighth Illinois Cavalry. There was not a shot fired; they had got into the mountains when I arrived near the rear guard, therefore pursuit would have been useless. We passed Bealeton Station toward the Rappahannock, through Sulphur Springs, three miles beyond which we bivouacked that night. Sunday, March 5, we went through Warrenton, took the pike toward Salem, crossed the Bull Run Mountains, got into the Warrenton pike near New Baltimore, followed it to Centerville, thence to camp. On this day the Eighth Illinois Cavalry were continually leaving their column, riding as far as one mile from it. I have counted thirty horses dismounted near one house. The Eighth Illinois being apparently permitted by their officers to enter farms, it acted as a bad example on our men, and to stop their following it I threatened my platoon commanders with arrest, telling them I should put sergeants in command if they could not keep the men in the ranks. Crossing Bull Run Mountains from the Salem pike, the guerrillas again (dressed in our uniform) attacked the rear guard; succeeded in taking one corporal and two men of Company K. Two other men escaped. This time our rear guard exchanged shots with the rebels, and when I arrived at the rear, I saw the rebels on the mountains about 300 yards off. I had given Lieutenant Hoover (commanding rear guard) orders to be from 150 to 200 yards in our rear, to be more than 50 yards from his column. I thought Lieutenant Hoover rather slow in his movements, and instructed him to attack the guerrillas with his rear-guard whenever they appeared, which he had neglected before, as it seemed to me he kept marching on while the extreme rear was fighting. About noon a squadron of the Eighth Illinois Cavalry took the rear, after I had been remonstrating with Captain Russell, who then told me our men were continually falling out. But I convinced him that in nearly every instance his men were the perpetrators, not ours. To force those men to re-enter their ranks it would have been neces sary to engage in a fight with them. One of them passed Captain Baker, Sixteenth New York Cavalry, at the head of our detachment, shouting to one of his comrades, "that son of a b-wanted to arrest me," pointing toward the rear, where I was engaged driving up stragglers. One party of the Eighth Illinois Cavalry left the column, went up to a house, dismounted, and entered it. A party of guerrillas attacked them. This was about a half mile from and in full view of the whole command. Captain Baker and the commanders of my rear guard greatly exerted themselves to prevent our men from straggling. All of which is respectfully submitted. J. SCHNEIDER, Captain, 16th New York Cav., Com. Detach. 16th New York Cav. MARCH 5-8, 1865.-Expedition from Fort Monroe to Fredericksburg, Va. REPORTS. No. 1.-Col. Samuel H. Roberts, One hundred and thirty-ninth New York Iufantry. No. 1. Report of Col. Samuel H. Roberts, One hundred and thirty-ninth New -York Infantry. HEADQUARTERS EXPEDITION AGAINST FREDERICKSBURG, Fort Monroe, Va., March 9, 1865. GENERAL: I have the honor to submit the following report of my recent operations on the Rappahannock River: I left Fort Monroe at 5 p. m. March 5. The expedition consisted of five regiments, numbering 1,800 infantry and a detachment of 300 men from the First New York Mounted Rifles, under Col. E. V. Sumner. The army gun-boats Mosswood, Chamberlain, and Jesup accompanied us, under command of Capt. J. M. Durell, of General Graham's staff. At the mouth of the Rappahannock I met Commander Parker, of the Potomac flotilla, who strongly advised me to abandon my proposed |