HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA,
December 16, 1863.

Respectfully forwarded.

General Rosser in this as in other cases has well performed his duty.

R. E. LEE,

General.

HEADQUARTERS ROSSER'S BRIGADE,
December 12, 1863.

MAJOR: Early on the morning of the 29th ultimo, I was ordered by Major General J. E. B. Stuart to put my command in the saddle, and was conducted by him from my position on the right of our line (by way of the Catharpin and other blind roads) in direction of Parker's Store, on the plank road, near which place I arrived about 12 m., unobserved by the enemy. There was about a regiment of cavalry on duty at the store, and with large supports of Gregg's division upon the right and left of them, all picketing upon the plank road, facing south to guard well the flank of the hesitating Meade, who had taken up and fortified a strong position stretching across the old pike to the plank road along Mine Run, a few miles west of this point. The pickets were posted a few hundred yards in advance of the reserve, which was immediately upon the plank road. Without reconnoitering or pausing for a moment's reflection, the gallant Captain Hatcher, of the Seventh Virginia Cavalry, who commanded the advance guard, dashed upon the pickets (10 or 15 in number) and killed or captured them all.

This skirmishing around the enemy's reserve (which was well at hand, bridled and saddled, and which made immediate preparations to receive me by placing a number of dismounted men in the thick underbrush, which makes this country impenetrable except by the roads), and the narrowness of the road by which I approached being such that I was compelled to debouch upon a small field near by in a column of twos and under a very heavy fire from the enemy's sharpshooters just beyond, threw my advanced regiment into some confusion, and the first effort to charge into the camp was not successful. Seeing this, I ordered the dashing White to charge them upon the right flank, while the gallant Massie threw his magnificent squadrons (led by his brave and chivalrous adjutant, Harman) upon them in front, sweeping everything before them and killing quite a large number. Indeed, I have never seen dead bodies more thickly strewn than they were in the small thicket of brush in which the enemy's sharpshooters were posted.

My loss was slight, 3 killed, and 1 officer and 15 men wounded.

I captured a good many arms and equipments, horses and mules, and three wagons, but only one of them could be brought off for the want of harness, the enemy having cut the mules away and rode them off. The other two were destroyed.

Some other skirmishing occurred in my effort to capture a few stragglers that had run into the thickets, which were so dense that it was impossible to pursue them on horseback. General Stuart then ordered me to withdrawn to a small field which was near by and reassemble my brigade, which had got a little scattered in the fight. When this was done, about two or three of the enemy's squadrons