I directed the movement of the small force at Lexington and Louisville by telegraph, and also sent the news of capture of Mount Sterling and the whereabouts of Morgan to Colonel S. B. Brown, at Louisa, to be forwarded to Brigadier-General Burbridge, who was supposed to be at or near Pound Gap, with the cavalry force of my DIVISION. I continued my efforts to raise more men in the mean time, and at length concluded to leave the fortifications with a small guard and send all the men I could raise to meet Morgan and prevent the destruction of the railroad and bridges. I raised 130 men, consisting of Fiftieth Veteran Reserve Corps, FIFTY of Forty- seventh Kentucky, and thirty militia, and put Captain George H. Laird, of my staff, in command, and sent them to Falmouth, where they were joined by thirty more militia. This was done on the 8th of June. Captain Laird deserves great credit for his management of these men and his promptness in furnishing information by telegraph of the enemy's movements. In the mean time Governor Morton sent one regiment from Indiana to Louisville to protect the city, or to be sent to Frankfort for the protection of that place. In the mean time Major-General Heintzelman was furnishing me all the assistance possible by shipping troops from Ohio. I soon had the First and Second Kentucky Regiments, whose terms of service had nearly expired. They were placed in the fortifications and barracks as a garrison for Covington. On the arrival of One hundred and sixty- eighth Ohio National Guard (100-days' men) they were ordered at once to go by rail to Cynthiana, and guard the railroad bridges on the road. The regiment came to me with no ammunition and very poor guns. I am obliged to report that a few of the officers, and a great many men of this regiment, refused to march, and Company K actually stacked their arms. Under these embarrassing circumstances I had but little hope of repulsing Morgan before he had accomplished all the destruction of the road. At 4 p. m. 10th of June Colonel F. F. Asper, One hundred and seventy-first Ohio National Guard, reported to me, with his regiment, in Covington. I at once ordered a train of cars to convey the troops to Cynthiana, knowing that the One hundred and sixty-eight Ohio would probably be attacked in a day or so. Two hundred and FIFTY horses were also ordered to be drawn from Captain Webster, assistant quartermaster, Covington, and loaded on the train. These horses were drawn for the Thirtieth Kentucky Infantry, and were to have been taken to Lexington for their use. At 11 p. m. 10th of June I got on the train with my staff and proceeded with One hundred and seventy- first Ohio National Guard to Keller's Bridge, about one mile north of Cynthiana, arriving there at 4 a. m. June 11. Colonel Asper had got his men off the cars, and was distributing rations and extra ammunition to them, when firing was heard in direction of Cynthiana. A man from the town reported that a detachment of One hundred and sixty-eight Ohio were needing assistance. Colonel Asper immediately sent two companies to reconnoiter from a small hill, and to ascertain how far the enemy were from us. Soon after they had reached the top of the hill, a squad of rebel cavalry came toward the train. I suppose they had heard the noise of the train, and had been sent out to reconnoiter. Our two companies fired into them and they ran in the direction they had come. A few seconds after his we observed a force of cavalry moving to our right, as if to intercept the train, which had been ordered back with the horses, and a line of skirmishers was seen advancing through a field upon our position. Captain J. S. Butler, assistant adjutant- general of my staff, immediately mounted one of the few horses which had been