in command if they could not keep the men int he 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 ankhs it would have been necessary 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.

Numbers 1.-Colonel Samuel H. Roberts, One hundred and thirty-ninth New York Infantry.

Numbers 2.-Lieutenant Colonel Rawley W. Martin, Fifty-third Virginia Infantry.

Numbers 3.-Captain Littleburry W. Allen, Twenty-fourth Virginia Cavalry.

Numbers 1. Report of Colonel 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 Colonel E. V. Sumner. The army gun-boats Mosswood, Chamberlain, and Jesup accompanies us, under command of Captain J. M. Durrell, 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