Bristoe Station. Several dispatches captured during the night satisfied me that, notwithstanding the skirmishing that had taken place, the enemy was ignorant of my position, and having placed my artillery in a commanding position, I was prepared to co-operate with any attack made by our main body upon the flank. I dispatched six separate messengers (bold men), who were directed to slip through the enemy's column, the marching of which was distinctly heard, passing within a few hundred yards of our position,and to reach the commanding general with information of the state of affairs. All of these messengers got safely through by 1 o'clock at night. The morning came and with it a dense fog, which tended further to conceal our whereabouts. But the enemy were only a short distance from us and we heard every word spoken. An army corps halted on a hill just opposite to us, stacked arms and went to making coffee. The operation had considerably progressed when a sharp volley of musketry was heard on the Warrenton road. I waited until it appeared more general, when, believing that it was our attack in earnest, I opened seven guns upon the enemy and rained a storm of canister and shell upon the masses of men, muskets, and coffeepots.

Strange to say,the fire of our infantry ceased as soon as I opened, and I soon found myself maintaining an unequal contest with an army corps, a considerable portion of whom being under the hill recovered from their stampede and consternation sufficiently to move out upon either flank under the cover of the rolling ground, so as to make my position untenable with the kind of force I had. A vigorous attack with our main body at the time that I expected it would have insured the annihilation of that army corps. Their batteries meanwhile opening from the hill beyond upon our position, I was compelled most reluctantly to withdraw the artillery; in doing which General Gordon, who was directed to cover the left flank, seeing the enemy pressing rapidly down on that side in a manner which threatened to cut us off from the road, ordered forward one of his regiments (the old First), which was led by its gallant colonel (the lamented Ruffin), charged a regiment of infantry, nearly all of whom had surrendered, when a re-enforcements closing up rapidly under the cover of a fence compelled this Spartan band to relinquish their captives. The colonel of the regiment fell in the charge. He was a model of worth, devotion, and heroism.

Brigadier-General Gordon, though receiving in this charge a painful wound, continued, by his brave example and marked ability, to control the field, in which he was only seconded by the gallant Captain W. H. H. Cowles, of that regiment.

Funsten's brigade was engaged principally as sharpshooters, dismounted, not being called upon to charge, and brought up the rear of the column, which now moved across the mill-race, which was soon bridged, and thence toward Warrenton, striking the route the enemy had lately marched,in their rear, capturing a number of stragglers. Halting my command near this route for feed, I dashed on myself to the commanding general, whom I found in front of Auburn, and informed him of the situation. The enemy did not follow me far, and our main column, after some artillery firing, found Auburn evacuated and continued its march.

Brigadier-General Lomax, who had been cut off from me the day before,had joined Major-General Lee, who had them come up and moved his advance guard on the Warrenton road to New Baltimore,