enemy withdrew his light gun and continued to fire for about half an hour with the 20-pounders, when we drove them off. When the enemy withdrew his forces, General Sturgis' rear guard and battery proceeded to join his column.

General Sturgis' division is near Fayetteville, with a regiment

on picket at Fox's Ford, the intersection of the roads from Sulphur Springs, Jefferson, Fayetteville, and Bealeton.

General Getty's position strikes along Great Run from Fox's Ford to within 1 mile of Sulphur Springs.

General Burns' division is in position on both sides of the pike at Sulphur Springs, picketing in both directions.

The enemy's force drove in our cavalry yesterday evening from Jefferson. They retired in that direction to-day.

I regret to add that Lieutenant McIlvain, of the Second New Jersey Battery,* was badly wounded.

Loss of the enemy unknown.

Very respectfully, yours,

[O. B. WILLCOX.]

No. 2. Report of Brigadier General Edward Ferrero, commanding Second Brigade, Second Division, Ninth Army Corps.

NEAR FALMOUTH, Va., December 2, 1862.

CAPTAIN: I have the honor to report the part taken by this brigade in the engagement at Warrenton Springs on the morning of the 15th of November, 1862. By General Sturgis' orders, I broke up camp shortly after daylight, and took up line of march toward Fayetteville, following the First Brigade of the division. Shortly after my command had passed the bridge crossing the Rappahannock, near the Springs, several shells, from a battery planted by the enemy on the hills south of the river, burst in the midst of the wagon train following my brigade. One of my regiments [the Thirty-fifth Massachusetts Volunteers] was immediately ordered back to protect the train. The Fifty-first New York Volunteers and Twenty-first Massachusetts Volunteers were placed in support of Captain Durell's battery, one section of which was put in position on the left of the road, the other two sections on the right of the road. The fire from the enemy's battery was very severe, nearly every shell exploding in the train or batteries. Lieutenant Howard McIlvain, of Captain Durell's battery, was killed, while firing one of his pieces, by the bursting of a 20-pounder shell directly in front of him. I have seldom seen artillery served with such precision as were the enemy's guns during this short fight. After Captain Durell's battery had been placed in position, I was left, by General Sturgis' orders, in command of the field. Captain Roemer's battery [L], Second New York Artillery, reported to me, and I placed his battery in position to the left of the road, masked in a dense growth of dwarf oaks. Both batteries replied actively to the fire of the three guns of the enemy, but these three guns were not silenced until Lieutenant Benjamin's battery, 20-pounder Parrotts, opened on them. During the action the cavalry of the enemy charged on the bridge, but

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*A mistake. Lieutenant McIlvain belonged to Battery D, Pennsylvania Light Artillery.

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