During the early part of the action Brigadier General J. M. Jones was wounded. Colonel Witcher then assumed command of the brigade and the command of the regiment fell upon me. About this time the left of the brigade fell back a short distance, and the regiment was ordered to the line of the brigade by the colonel commanding brigade. Here the regiment remained until dark, when it moved by the left flank to its former position on the road, where it encamped for the night.

Loss: Killed, 1; wounded, 9; missing, 7.

I am, captain, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

WM. P. MOSELEY,

Lieutenant Colonel, Commanding Twenty-first Virginia Infantry.

Captain SAMUEL J. C. MOORE,

Assistant Adjutant-General, Jones' Brigade.

Numbers 116. Report of Colonel John c. Higginbotham, Twenty-fifth Virginia Infantry.

DECEMBER 4, 1863.

CAPTAIN: In obedience to an order from General Johnson, through General Jones, on the morning of the 27th ultimo I went forward to protect on the march the artillery of the division, and 1 mile east of Bartlett's mill, on the Locust Grove road, encountered six vedettes of the enemy, which, after a little skirmish of a few minutes, were driven off without injury to us. I then deployed five companies (the right wing of my command) to scour both sides of the road until we reached the pickets of Rodes' division, when they were withdrawn. The regiment resumed its march, and afterward countermarched until near the scene of action.

Near evening, agreeably to your order, I deployed three companies of my regiment, under command of Captain Johnson, to fill in part the interval between Major Anderson's skirmishers and the left of Rodes' division, which skirmishers moved forward well when the brigade advanced in line. I lost sight of the skirmishers of the brigade at the first ravine in the woods, upon the crest of which hill the enemy were posted, and coming so suddenly in their front, I found it necessary to deploy 12 men, with Lieutenant Hendrix, Company A, upon my right to fill the vacancy between Captain Johnson and it, to protect my flank. It was essential for the line of Major Anderson to retire.

We drove the enemy out of their position, and if we had not gotten far beyond the left of the brigade and exhibited the weakness of our flank - the open space nearly a half mile between us and rodes' left - we could have pushed them much farther. We retired to the skirts of the woods, or rather back to the crest of the hill, and, upon an order from Captain Early, to the fence we had last crossed in advancing, and afterward marched by the left flank with the brigade to the main road.

Company A captured 1 prisoner; Company E, 4; Captain Mathews, of Company I, an adjutant.

My officers exhibited that energy, coolness, skill, and gallantry,