left in front; formed line of battle by brigade, my regiment on the right; deployed one company of 60 men in advance of regiment as skirmishers. T he company advanced about 500 yards into a very thick under growth of pine woods, when they were fired upon by the rebels lying in ambush, killing 3 enlisted men and wounding 4 enlisted men. The company returned the fire, and held their position. I immediately sent one company of 40 men to support the skirmishers. The two companies remained in position till relieved by the Second Corps, and then rejoined the regiment, which had marched to the ground from where it had marched in the morning; bivouacked in the woods.

December 1, 1 p. m., marched on the right center of the Third Brigade, right in front; bivouacked in the woods. December 2, marched at 6 a. m. on the right of the brigade, right in front, crossing the Rapidan River on pontoon bridge; took position in line of battle on a hill in the woods close by the river to guard the ford; remained in position for three hours, then marched on the right of brigade; bivouacked in the woods.

December 3, marched at 1 a. m. on the left of brigade, right in front, arriving at Brandy Station 8 a. m., encamped in the woods near Brandy Station.

Hoping this will prove satisfactory and correct, I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JAMES A. STAHLE,

Lieutenant- Colonel, Commanding 87th Pennsylvania Volunteers.

Lieutenant S. C. JUDSON,

Acting Assistant Adjutant- General.

Numbers 74. Report of Captain George E. Randolph, First Rhode Island Light Artillery, commanding Artillery Brigade.

HDQRS. ARTILLERY BRIGADE, THIRD ARMY CORPS,
December 4, 1863.

COLONEL: I have the honor respectfully to submit the following report of the operations of my brigade during the recent movement:

On the morning of the 26th ultimo, the batteries (Clark's, B, First New Jersey, and McKnight's, Twelfth New York, reporting to General Prince, and marching with leading division; Roder's, K, Fourth U. S. Artillery, with the Third Division, General Carr; and Randolph's, E, First Rhode Island, with First Division, General Birney, and the remaining four in reserve following ambulances of Birney's division) marched from Brandy Station, crossing Mountain Run at Milton's Mills, to Jacobs' Ford, the head of the column reaching that place just after noon.

The Twelfth New York, under Lieutenant Dauchy, and Clark's battery, the former 3- inch guns, and the latter light 12- pounders, were at once placed in battery near the white house on the left of road, distant about 500 yards from opposite bank of the Rapidan, to cover the laying of the bridge. K, Fourth United States, was halted