place at 3 a. m. on Sunday, 15th instant, with about 700 of my command, composed of detachments from the First York Cavalry, Cole's Potomac Home Brigade, Sixth Michigan Cavalry, First Connecticut Cavalry, Twenty-second Pennsylvania Cavalry, Twenty-first Pennsylvania Cavalry (my own), and a section of the First [West] Virginia Battery, Light Artillery. The command was supplied with four days' rations and forage (two days' being in wagons).

Marched to Strasburg first day; distance, 41 miles. Started at daylight next morning and reached Woodstock about 10 a. m.; distance, 12 miles. Here my advance guard, Companies A and C, First New York Cavalry, commanded by capta. James H. Stevenson, of Company C, came upon the enemy's pickets, about 20 in number, and drove them out of town, capturing the mail-carrier with a large mail for the South, also a lieutenant (Hamman) of the Tenth Virginia Infantry and a wagon with four of apple brandy intended for Imboden's camp.

I had intended to feed at the latter place and send my wagons back with a guard, but the enemy kept our advance so much occupied that I deemed it impracticable. On reaching Edenburg, 5 miles south of Woodstock, my advance encountered a company of rebel cavalry stationed at that place on picket, and after a sharp skirmish drove them from the town. Here my advance halted, and Captain Stevenson sent me word that camp fires were visible along the base of the mountain to the left of the town, which proved to be correct, they were only the fires of the company on picket which had been driven out of the town. A few miles beyond Edenburg the rebels made another stand in a piece of woods, but we drove them again, this time with the saber; here some of the men who had fast horses indulged in the chase a little too far, and the rebels finding them unsupported, turned on them, and before they could reach the main guard, 3 of them, whose horses were run down, were captured and 1 man killed.

My advance was now within a mile of Mount Jackson and I ordered them to advance, continually throwing out skirmishers. On approaching within a quarter of a mile of the town, the skirmishers were fired upon by a piece of artillery planted on a little eminence in front of the town and commanding the pike. On hearing this I formed line of battle on each side of the pike and at once pushed my artillery to the front and opened on the town. The enemy evidently were very much surprised, for they supposed we had no artillery with us, and after about a dozen shots had been fired, one of which, I regret to say, killed Corpl. J. H. Hoagland, Company F, First New York Cavalry, they ceased. My skirmishers in the meantime advanced to reconnoiter the position of the enemy, and I soon learned the enemy were in full retreat. We at once dashed after them through the town and across the first bridge, when they again made a stand on the top of a hill.

We drove them from this and occupied it ourselves, the enemy occupying the hill beyond the bridge. Here we viewed each other for some time (the enemy having his artillery planted to seep the only bridge by which the stream was passable, the banks being very steep all along), and unfortunately the topography of the country was such that we could not reach their guns with our own artillery until they were out of range. I learned from prisoners that White and Gilmor's battalion and a portion of Imboden's were present, in all 800 men, and as they were likely to be re-enforced, I deemed it