continuing their fire to permit her to land until she finally got as far from us in the stream as she could and escaped us. But for this I have no doubt that she would have come to after our first fire and been captured. From the confusion and cries on board the boat we must have done considerable execution. On my return I divided my command, sent part of them up Cabin Creek, and brought the remainder up Paint Creek. We succeeded in breaking up the election on both of these creeks, taking and bringing away the poll-books. We also captured a large number of disloyal citizens on both streams, including their ringleaders, and a number of horses, that we took from the Union men; brought away prisoners, including 3 Yankee soldiers, who were caught prowling on the creeks and encamped for the night, between 8 and 9 o'clock, after having been twenty-six hours in the saddle, and having traveled a distance of 90 or 100 miles without food or rest. I gained much valuable information in the Kanawha Valley about the strength and position of the enemy which I think can be relied on. From the falls down they have about 2,500 men in the valley, distracted as follows; 800 at Smithers' Creek and Station's Run, 800 at McConchay's, opposite Lens' Creek, 500 divided between Malden and Charleston, and 400 at Winfield, the county seat of Putman County. I feel satisfied, also, that it would require a large force of the enemy (at least 10,000 men) to guard the different approaches to the Kanawha Valley so as to prevent incursions by small bodies of cavalry into the valley. I think the expedition under my command will be productive of great good, in its moral effects, both upon our own people and upon the enemy. It will encourage our loyal citizens who are compelled to remain at home, and intimidate the traitors to feel that we are near the valley and that we will enter it at every practicable point and that we will avail ourselves of every opportunity to visit them. I cannot omit the occasion to testify to the loyalty and zeal of many of the people on whom we called, who received us with a cordiality and warmth that proved them to be reliable and true, and who bestowed their best wishes on us and our cause when we left them. The effect upon the enemy by this and similar expeditions will be to annoy and harass him; he will feel that his strength, his positions, and to some extent his plans, can be discovered by parties penetrating his lines and following in his rear. It will also cause him to divide his forces and dissipate his strength, so as to guard, if possible, the approaches to the valley.

I have the honor to be, your obedient servant,

JNO. N. CLARKSON,

Colonel, Commanding Cavalry.

General JOHN B. FLOYD.

OCTOBER 26, 1861. - Action at Romney, West Virginia.

Report of Brigadier General Benjamin F. Kelley, U. S. Army, and congratulatory message from General Scott.

CAMP KEYS, ROMNEY, VA., October 28, 1861.

GENERAL: In obedience to your order by telegram of the 24th instant, I proceeded without delay to concentrate the available forces of my command on the line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad at New Creek Station, 25 miles west of Cumberland, and distant from this point