pushed vigorously forward and reached Clarksburg, 12 miles distant, shortly after dark.

As the advance guards (the mounted infantry under Captain Davis) approached the town they were met and resisted by a company of the enemy. They promptly dismounted, engaged and repulsed him, killing 3, who were left dead on the ground. Our column immediately moved forward into and occupied the town without further resistance. Here we bivouacked for the night.

I ascertained from scouts whom I sent out that General Forrest with a large force, said be his whole command, were bivouacked at Union Church, 4 miles west of Clarksburg, on the road leading from McLemoresville into the Huntington and Lexington road at Parker's Cross-Roads, 5 miles south of Clarksburg. One of his foraging parties represented his forces at 8,000 strong, with twelve pieces of artillery. I immediately (2 a. m.) sent a courier to you with a dispatch saying, in substance, that he was at the point above designated in considerable force and that I should try to coax or force a fight out of him in the morning. My information induced me to believe that he was endeavoring to escape by way of Lexington, and hence would enter the road to that place at the cross-roads aforesaid, and I determined to there intercept him.

Our little force had breakfasted and was in motion before day. The mounted infantry having been upon picket through the night were left as a rear guard, and Company A, Fiftieth Indiana, under Lieutenant Judy, was thrown forward as an advance guard. As the advance approached Parker's Cross-Roads it was attacked by the enemy's pickets; immediately deployed as skirmishers and pushed rapidly forward up the hill, the whole column following. As I got with the advance to the top of the hill I saw what seemed a large company, or two small ones, of the enemy retreating along the road to the west, upon whom I opened a brisk fire, and the retreat became a flight to Dr. Williams' house, upon a hill nearly half a mile distant, under the shelter of which and the outbuildings and timber about it they rallied. Desiring to ascertain whether the enemy was there in force two guns were ordered up and threw a few shells into the surrounding timber, when a farther retreat into the woods to the northwest followed. Lieutenant-Colonel Wells, with the Fiftieth Indiana, was ordered forward to occupy the hill upon which the house stood and the woods to the right, and reconnoiter. He threw three companies (A, D, and F) forward as skirmishers, following with the remainder of the regiment and soon took the position indicated.

No enemy being found Company F, Lieutenant Jones, was sent across a skirt of woods to the north to reconnoiter and soon came up with and engaged a company of the enemy's mounted men at a house a little west of north from that of Dr. Williams' and drove them back across a large field and up and over the crest of a ridge. The "recall" was sounded and they returned to the house. Soon the enemy was seen coming down the hill toward the house. Company F had in the mean time been joined by a part of the detachment of the Eighteenth Illinois (the mounted infantry before mentioned) and the two again deployed and drove the enemy back to the top of the ridge. At this juncture I saw the enemy deploying a line along but behind the brow of the ridge, and the "recall" was sounded and the skirmishers again rallied at the house. They had barely done so when the enemy opened upon them with shell from a gun upon his extreme right, and soon from another con-