CHAP.XII.] SKIRMISH ON MAYFIELD CREEK, KY., ETC.

SEPTEMBER 19, 1861. - Action at Barboursville, Ky.

Report of Brigadier General F.K. Zollicoffer, C.S. Army.

BRIGADE HEADQUARTERS, Camp Buckner, near Cumberland Ford, Ky., Sept. 19, 1861

SIR: On my way here to-day an express overtook me with your order to send two regiments from my command to Camp Trousdale. I immediately caused orders to be given to Fourteenth Mississippi Regiment, Colonel Baldwin, and Third East Tennessee Regiment, Colonel Lillard, to move to Camp Trousdale, those two regiments being on the line of the railroad and most readily to be brought to the position designated.

I have now four regiments here and one at Cumberland Gap. I have here one 6-pounder field battery of six guns and four companies of cavalry-eight other cavalry companies on the way. There are now but two infantry regiments left in East Tennessee; one, the Alabama regiment, with more than 400 sick. There are five cavalry companies left for that service.

An advanced force sent out last night, about 800 strong, entered Barboursville, 18 miles from here, about daylight, where they found about 300 of the enemy, and a fight ensued, in which we killed 12 and took 2 prisoners. We lost 1 killed, Lieutenant Powell, of Colonel Cummings' regiment, 1 fatally wounded, and 3 slightly wounded. The enemy fled precipitately. The number of his wounded unknown.

Colonel J.A. Battle commanded the detachment, making a march of 34 miles and dispersing this detachment of the enemy within a period of twenty hours. He destroyed their encampment, called Camp Andrew Johnson, and captured about 25 arms. Two prisoners had been taken a day or two before, one of whom was bearing a letter from an East Tennessee captain in the Lincoln camp at Hoskins' Cross-Roads to his wife, in which the writer states that the strength of that camp is 15,000 and still rapidly increasing. We now have a report from the country people that they are 20,000 strong.

My only engineer officer understanding military engineering has resigned and gone home.

Very respectfully,

F.K. ZOLLICOFFER, Brigadier-General.

General A.S. JOHNSTON, Memphis, Tenn.

SEPTEMBER 21, 22, 1861. - Reconnaissance toward Columbus, and skirmish (September 22) on Mayfield Creek, Ky.

REPORTS.

Numbers 1. - Brigadier General U.S. Grant, U.S. Army.

Numbers 2. - Colonel Jacob G. Lauman, Seventh Iowa Infantry.

Numbers 1. Report of Brigadier General U.S. Grant, U.S. Army. Cairo, September 22, 1861

GENERAL: Yesterday, I directed a reconnaissance in force to discover the position of the enemy. The main part of the troops from Norfolk