face of some danger from the retreating enemy and extinguished the fire which was rapidly consuming the enemy's ferry-boats.

I immediately caused General Echols' brigade, together with the Twenty-second and Thirty-sixth Virginia Regiments, to be thrown across the river, and with his and the brigades of General Williams and Colonel Wharton, on the other side, I continued the pursuit of the enemy, with occasional skirmishing, to the vicinity of Charleston, which I reached on the afternoon of the 13th instant, the route of retreat being marked with burned and abandoned property. At Charleston the enemy again offered a most determined resistance until the brigades of General Williams and Colonel Wharton, reaching a commanding position on the opposite bank of the river, poured a destructive artillery fire into his right, while Colonel McCausland, then in command of the First Brigade, on account of the sickness of General Echols, covered and assisted by Chapman's battery, placed on a commanding hill on the right, and which kept up a destructive fire on the enemy, pushed into the burning town and drove the enemy below the Elk River. The enemy destroyed the suspension bridge across the Elk [River] behind him, and, planting batteries upon the opposite shore, held the position until nightfall, when he again resumed his flight, which he has since rapidly continued, by the way of Jackson Court-House and Ravenswood, into the State of Ohio, followed, however, by enough of my disposable cavalry to harass his retreat and capture much valuable property. The march of near 150 miles and the detailing of forces to guard captured stores in the rear caused such abatement and exhaustion of my command as compelled me to halt at Charleston. This place, too, being the point of departure of many lateral roads, in any events is necessary to be held.

In the various engagements and skirmishes with the enemy up to this time, my loss in killed and wounded is about 80 men, while that of the enemy, from reliable information, cannot be less than 1,000 men, in killed, wounded, and prisoners. At least $1,000,000 worth of stores were captured, including many Federal flags, two pieces of artillery, besides several millions of dollars' worth of stores which were destroyed by the enemy in his flight.

To Generals Williams and Echols and to Colonels Wharton and McCausland, commanding brigades, I take pleasure in according the praise which they deserve for their efficient services and cordial execution of my commands.

To each of the several officers commanding regiments, battalions, and batteries, great credit is due for their gallantry and promptness. Major King, chief of artillery; Captain [Lawrence S.] Marye, of the ordnance; Captains Poor and [John M.] Robinson of the engineers, for services in their respective spheres, and Captain [R.] Laidley, of the Twenty-second Virginia Regiment, wounded while gallantly fighting at Fayetteville, and Lieutenant [T. G.] Jarrell, of the Thirty-sixth Virginia Regiment, for coolness and courage evinced at Gauley; Captain [H. T.] Stanton, adjutant-general of General Williams, for entering the town of Charleston and taking down the garrison flag, and Captain [R. H.] Catlett and Mr. McFarland, of General Echols' staff; Lieutenant Henry Robinson, artillery, and Dr. Hunter, chief medical director of my command, for his care of the sick and his energy in securing captured medical stores; Captains [T. H.] Stamps, [G. G.] Otey, [William M.] Lowry, and [G. B.] Chapman, and Lieutenant [David N.] Walker, of the artillery, all deserve especial mention. Colonel Fitzhugh, chief of staff; Captain [W. B.] Myers, of the adjutant-general's department, and Colonel Throburn, inspector-general and chief of ordnance, and Captains [John D.] Myrick and [C. L.] Mathews, my aides-de-camp, merit the warmest approbation