I stated that the Fourteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry would meet them there, and if either regiment should fail to be there at the appointed hour, the one on the ground should await the arrival of the other until half an hour after daybreak. If at half an hour after daybreak either portion of the command present should move across the Shenandoah and camp. Before reaching Paris Captain Martindale expressed himself of the opinion that Piedmont would be the better point to meet at. I accepted Captain Martindale's opinion because I had always understood that he was well informed regarding the geography of the country, while I am not. I sent for Lieutenant Draper, who was near me, in order to communicate my change of the place of rendezvous. I sent for him and directed him to communicate my change of orders to Captain Snow, because the command was obliged to march by file, and Captain Snow, who was the rear, would find it very difficult to pass the column. We were near Paris, and time was precious. I told Lieutenant Draper that he would be held responsible for the communication of my orders. When we reached Paris Captain Snow's column took the proper route; I, with the Fourteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry, two scouts, and Captain Martindale and Lieutenant Baker, moved to the right of Paris. I proceeded to search such houses as were pointed out by the deserter from Mosby, who accompanied me, as the homes of Mosby's men and officers and the place used for storage of the enemy's supplies. At the first house I ordered to be searched Lieutenant Jones, Fourteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry, who I had ordered, with twenty-five men, to search all houses which I thought should be searched, was left with two men. Before he had finished searching I moved the column, presuming Lieutenant Jones would follow the course the regiment had taken. Lieutenant Jones mistook the route taken by the regiment and failed to overtake it. I moved by way of Markham's Station to a point on the road from Upperville to Piedmont, and two miles from the latter point. I arrived at this point at 6.30 a. m. I sent a patrol, consisting of a sergeant and ten men, from the point to Piedmont. I sent a verbal message by the sergeant to Captain Snow to move immediately to my position, it being on the direct road to Winchester, by way of Ashby's Gap. I directed the sergeant to move there and back rapidly. The sergeant having arrived at Piedmont, found that the Twenty-first New York Cavalry was not there, and had not been there. Thinking Captain Snow might have pursued my first instructions to meet me with his command at Upperville, I expected to find that he had remained there until half an hour after daylight, and, consequently, he would not be far ahead of me.

On arriving at Upperville I was astonished to find that Captain Snow left that place at 5 o'clock that morning instead of the later hour I had directed. Small parties of the enemy continually harassed our rear and threatened our front and flanks. On arriving at Paris they made strong demonstrations, and as we passed through that place the command was harassed by musketry from behind a stone wall. The stone wall was on elevated ground protected by natural obstacles from an attack from cavalry and protected perfectly from our fire. I succeeded in marching the command through the town, without sustaining any loss. Up to this time I had captured eighteen of the enemy, including Mosby's quartermaster and one lieutenant of the line, together with about fifty horses.

On arriving at a point on the road from Paris to Berry's Ferry where the road to Shepherd's Ford turns off, it became necessary to march the command by file owing to a narrow passage through the rocks of the