tured an ambulance and mules with sick officer. A rebel picket was killed at Duncan's Mill. A column of infantry is reported beyond Young's Bridge. The prisoners were paroled. I fear this attack will disconcert them and check their advance.

W. S. ROSECRANS,

Major-General.

General GRANT.

OCTOBER 2, 1862.-Skirmish near Ramer's Crossing, Mobile and Ohio Railroad, Miss.

Report of Captain Patrick H. McCauley, Seventeenth Wisconsin Infantry.

CAMP COMPANY A, SEVENTEENTH WISCONSIN INFTY.,

Ramer's Crossing, Miss., October 3, 1862.

GENERAL: Yesterday, at 6 p. m., and a moment after the freight train passed south, a regiment of rebel cavalry made their appearance on the railroad at the switch 1 mile south of here. About 100 of them commenced tearing up the track, and cut the telegraph wire in several places, no doubt expecting to capture the passenger train that would be due in a few minutes. I immediately sent a hand car north to stop the train, and, with what men I had in camp (35) started for the maruades by the way of a bridle-path through the wood on the east side of the railroad, rightly supposing that the enemy came from the west. We got to within 20 rods of their working party before they discovered us. They dropped their tools and ran into the wold on the west side of the railroad. An open field lay between us and the wood they were in. I crossed the field on a run, closely and silently followed by my men, flew over a rail fence, entered the thicket, and advanced under cover of it to within less than 20 yards of them. They were in fours, and faced by the flank. A good deal of talk and confusion in their ranks; but as far as I could see to the right the road was full of them. So rapid were our movements that apparently the first intimation they had of our presence in the wood was the order to fire. The Springfield rifle musket in the hands of good marksmen could not keep them from running. Their companies in advance were not engaged in tearing up the road answer in good order. I saw them file across my right flank at some distance toward the open field in my rear. Our guns being reloaded we sent another well-directed volley into the mass in front, and fell back out of the wood and took up a good position behind the bank of the railroad. I had no sooner got stationed than they commenced tearing down the fence on the edge of the wood and issued on the field. Our fire drove them back to the cover. At this time my first lieutenant (Crane) came up with 16 men. (They had been engaged in building a block-house 1 1/2 miles north of camp. On hearing the firing they dropped their axes, seized their guns, and made the 2 1/2 miles in less than twenty minutes.) The enemy, seeing them approach, cleared out as fast as they could. In the action they fired hundreds of random shots, luckily with no more effect than to bore holes in the hats and clothing of a few of my men.