The infantry of our command bore the artillery fire of the enemy without a chance to reply, and but three or four muskets were fired from our side..

Colonel Stevens' report will show you that great confidence may be placed in the troops who were with him, and that neither my presence nor that of the re-enforcements I ordered were necessary to bring to a successful termination the objects of the expedition.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

WM. F. SMITH,

Brigadier-General.

Captain A. V. COLBURN, Asst. Adjt. General, Washington.

Numbers 3. Report of Colonel Issac I. Stevens, Seventy-ninth New York Infantry, commanding expedition.

CAMP ADVANCE, VA., September 13, 1861.

SIR: In command of a force consisting of the Seventy-ninth Regiment New York State Militia; four companies of the First Regiemtn U. S. Chasseurs, Lieutenant-Colonel Shaler commanding; two companies of the Third Vermont Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel Stannard; five companies of the Nineteenth Indiana, Colonel Meredith; four guns of Griffin's battery, Captain Griffin; a detachment of 50 regular cavalry, Lieutenant McLean commanding, and one of 40 volunteer cavalry, Captain Robinson commanding, constituting an aggregate force of about 1,800 men, I started from your headquarters on the 11th instant, about 7.30 o'clock, with instructions to cover and protect a reconnaissance of the village of Lewinsville and vicinity, to determine all the facts that would be required for its permanent occupation and defense. In execution of this duty I proceeded quietly and steadily with my command, throwing out skirmishers in advance,a nd exploring the ground on both flanks to the distance of a mile, enter the village about 10 o'clock, and examined in person the several approaches to it. At Langley I sent forward twenty of Robinson's cavalry, under command of Lieutenant [Seal] on the road to Leesburg, and to proceed to Lewinsville by a cross-road. this duty he performed, and reported that, judging from the appearance of the road, a force of from 100 to 200 of the enemy's cavalry had occupied it on the preceding night.

There are five roads which concentrate at lewinsville-one on which we approached, a second coming from the north and connecting the pike form camp to Leesburg with the village, a third coming from Falls Church on the south, a fourth coming from Vienna on the west, the four making the cross-roads of the village,a nd a fifth road about parallel to and southward of the Vienna road, known as the new road to Vienna, and having its junction with the road to Falls Church about 800 yards form the village. I caused to be placed in position to cover the reconnaissance the guns of Griffin's battery, with proper infantry supports and with skirmisher well thrown out on all the assailable points. One gun was placed on a commanding point west of the road leading ot the Leesburg pike on the north, supported by the Nineteenth Indiana, disposed as skirmishers and in reserve. A second gun was placed on a commanding point on the road leading directly from the cross-roads of the village to Vienna, and controlling also the approaches