ground, to my position at Johnson's Station, giving me sufficient time to make all necessary dispositions to check the enemy's farther advance. At 11 a. m. Wheeler, with one brigade, feinted upon my left flank and charged, mounted, with his entire command. He was handsomely repulsed with a loss of 31 killed, 160 wounded, and 60 taken prisoners. He made no further attack, but feel back to his old position at Aiken. I remained at this point, destroying track as usual, and constantly demonstrating in the direction of Augusta, till the night of the 12th, when I left Wheeler's front, crossed the Edisto at Guignard's Bridge, and encamped four miles beyond, picketing the Edisto as high up as Pine Log Bridge against Wheeler's cavalry. February 14, encamped on the south bank of the North Edisto; crossed on the 15th; moved well in on the left of the Fourteenth Army corps, marching parallel with it and struck the Lexington, and Augusta road, or whathe country the Two Notch road, northwest of and nine miles distant from Lexington. Only some 1,500 of Wheeler's cavalry had passed upon the road in the direction of Columbia. The majority of his command, together with Cheatham's corps, which had been marching for Columbia, was intercepted.

On the 17th crossed the Saluda River; moved north; found that Wheeler had crossed the Saluda and was moving for the railroad bridge over Broad River at Alston. Marched all day the 18th parallel to Cheatham's corps, rebel infantry, and at some points not over three miles distant. A bad stream alone prevented me from striking him in the flank. He had crossed the Saluda fifteen miles above Lexington Court-House and was now moving northeast in the direction of Newberry. I struck the railroad at Pomoria Station, destroying a portion of the track, the depot, and burned several bridges from that point to Broad River. I reached Alston on Broad River on the evening of the 18th, and here remained in camp till the evening of the 19th, when I crossed Broad River, and on the evening of the 20th reached Monticello. Found that Wheeler had already crossed the river and was moving north to Chesterville. From Monticello my command moved to Springfield Post-Office, on the Columbia and Charlotte Railroad, and demonstrated strongly in the direction of Chesterville until the main army had secured a crossing over the Wateree River, then drew off across the Wateree and moved to Lancaster, and again strongly, demonstrated in the direction of Charlotte. Here it was found that Hampton's and Wheeler's combined forces were in my front. By demonstrations and feints, communications, and a well-timed interview with Major-General Wheeler, the enemy was not only deceived as to our real movements, but the deception was kept up for several days, and it was not until our army had crossed Lynch's Creek and the advance had actually reached Chesterfield and Cheraw that he discovered his mistake. In the meantime portions of my command had occupied Monroe and Wadesborough, destroyed many mills and much other valuable property. When near Chesterfield the enemy for the first and only time succeeded in making a single dash upon the infantry columns of the Left Wing, and then only chased in the foragers.

The exceedingly bad roads and length of column rendered it impossible for all the roads to be effectually guarded. Previous to this time Captain Northrop, of my scouts, had burned all the railroad bridges on the Columbia and Spartanburg Railroad up to and including the one over Broad Rive at Shelton's Ferry.