Depot, and on the 6th I left Buffalo Gap with my best mounted men (about 600 men) and a section of artillery, without baggage. Halted at Goshen, issued provisions to the men, and encamped at Brattons', in Bath county.

Started at dawn on the 7th, and passed the Warm Springs at 1 p. m. on the Huntersville road. There heard that a battle was fought on the 6th between the forces of General Echols and Colonel Jackson and the enemy at Mill Point, in Pocahontas. I resolved to fall upon the enemy's rear if possible and pushed on. At the foot of Back Creek Mountain a courier from Covington brought me a dispatch from Captain Skeen that Echols was badly defeated; had retreated through Lewisburg toward Monroe; that a large column of the enemy had arrived at Lewisburg from Kanawha, making the entire hostile force at that point 15,000 strong. Believing it impossible to cross by Huntersville and do any good, I changed my course down Jackson's River toward Covington. That night I received a telegram from General Samuel Jones in cipher, which I could not read, never having been furnished the key.

On Sunday, the 8th, I pressed on to Covington, where I found more than 100 panic-stricken refugees from Colonel Jackson's command, and that night more came in. I placed a company on picket at Callaghan's. A little after dark my picket was attacked. Had one horse shot, but repelled the enemy and held the post.

When I changed my course down Jackson's River on Saturday I sent an order to the Rockbridge Home Guards and Cadets, who were at Millborough, to go to Clifton Forge, which they did on Sunday, and encamped only 13 miles from me. They numbered about 800 men and had two 6-pounder guns.

On Monday, the 9th, at dawn, the enemy appeared in force at Callaghan's and attacked my picket. It came in slowly. One and a half miles west of Covington I took position on the crest of a mountain to give battle. The force that drove in my picket was about 400 cavalry. When the head of the column came within about 1,200 yards I opened on it with my artillery, and by a few shots repulsed and scattered it, when two companies of my cavalry charged and drove the whole force back at full run to Callaghan's, where they joined the main column, over 3,000 strong, and moved off on the Warm Springs road. As soon as apprised of this fact, and that the enemy had seven pieces of artillery along, I felt sure he intended to get in my rear, if possible, by a country road, which I knew was entirely practicable. I at once withdrew to a hill 1 mile east of Covington, and sent to hurry up the Rockbridge forces, intending to give battle at that point (a very strong position) to whatever force might appear. In the meanwhile a part of my cavalry, under Colonel Imboden, were thrown out about 4 or 5 miles to watch the enemy's movements.

Early in the afternoon it was ascertained that Averell had left the Warm Springs road and gone off toward Huntersville. As it was possible this might be a ruse, and that he would sweep around by the Warm Springs and reach Millborough, I resolved to move, via Clifton Forge, to Goshen as quick as possible, sending scouts to watch Averell and report to me at Goshen. I commenced my march at once, and in a little over twenty-four hours made Goshen, a distance of 40 miles, on the 10th. Hearing from my scouts I dismissed the Rockbridge forces. My scouts reported Averell as making for Monterey, up Back Creek, and moving very rapidly.

On the 11th, I came to Buffalo Gap, where I ascertained beyond a