WHEN THE CHARGE WAS MADE UPON ELDER'S BATTERY, ABOUT 2 MILES FROM HAGERSTOWN, I SENT THE FIRST BATTALION TO ASSIST THE FIFTH NEW YORK IN SUPPORT OF THE BATTERY, WHILE I REPULSED A FLANK ATTACK WITH THE BALANCE OF MY COMMAND. CAPTAIN BEEMAN, WITH THE THIRD SQUADRON, WHOM I ORDERED TO HOLD A STRONG POSITION, BEING CUT OFF, WAS ORDERED TO SURRENDER. HE COOLLY REPLIED, "I DON'T SEE IT, " AND ESCAPED BY LEAPING A FENCE UPON HIS EXTREME RIGHT FLANK. I AGAIN ENDEAVORED TO HOLD ANOTHER POSITION NEAR THE TOLL-GATE, ON THE WILLIAMSPORT ROAD. CAPTAIN GROVER, WITH COMPANY K, MADE A VIGOROUS CHARGE UPON THE ENEMY'S SHARPSHOOTERS TOLD TOO SEVERELY UPON HIM, AND HE WAS OBLIGED TO FALL BACK. CAPTAIN WOODWARD, COMPANY M, FELL HERE, AND MANY OTHER BRAVE MEN. ABOUT HALF A MILE TO THE REAR OF THIS POSITION I REPLIED MY MEN AGAIN, AND, GIVING THREE CHEERS, SUCCEEDED IN TURNING BACK THE ENEMY. AT THIS POINT WE WERE SO INTERMINGLED WITH THE ENEMY THAT WE SUFFERED EQUALLY FROM OUR OWN AS WELL AS REBEL BATTERIES. ABOUT HALF A MILE FROM THIS POSITION, I CAME UPON BRIGADIER-GENERAL KILPATRICK AT DARK WITH THE BALANCE OF OUR DIVISION, AND MARCHED TO JONES' CROSS-ROADS. OFFICERS AN MEN ON THIS OCCASION BEHAVED WELL, AND CHARGED DESPERATELY, THOUGH GREATLY OUTNUMBERED. OUR LOSS IN THIS ENGAGEMENT WILL BE, AS NEAR AS CAN BE ASCERTAINED, 5 KILLED, 16 WOUNDED, AND 55 MISSING.

VERY RESPECTFULLY, YOUR OBEDIENT SERVANT,

A. W. PRESTON,

LIEUTENANT-COLONEL COMMANDING FIRST VERMONT CAVALRY.

Captain L. SIEBERT,

ASSISTANT ADJUTANT-GENERAL.

HARTWOOD CHURCH, VA.,

AUGUST 7, 1863.

SIR: I HAVE THE HONOR TO REPORT THAT IN THE ENGAGEMENT AT BOONSBOROUGH JULY 8, THE FIRST VERMONT CAVALRY WAS HELD IN RESERVE UNTIL 3 O'CLOCK IN THE AFTERNOON, WHEN I WAS ORDERED TO SEND ONE SQUADRON OF CARBINEERS TO THE EXTREME RIGHT OF OUR LINES, WHICH I OBEYED BY SENDING THE SIXTH SQUADRON, UNDER CAPTAIN CUMMINGS, WHO SUCCEEDED IN GAINING POSITION VERY NEAR ONE OF THE ENEMY'S BATTERIES, AND ANNOYED THEM SEVERELY. I WAS AGAIN ORDERED TO SEND ANOTHER SQUADRON OF CARBINEERS TO THE FRONT. I IMMEDIATELY SENT FORWARD COMPANIES E AND I, UNDER CAPTAIN SCOFIELD, WHO TOOK POSITION IN FRONT, NEAR THE HAGERSTOWN ROAD, AND AIDED IN PRESSING THE ENEMY BACK AT NIGHT. A BATTALION BEING NOW ORDERED TO THE FRONT, I SENT MAJOR BENNETT, WITH COMPANIES L, F, K, AND M, TO REPORT TO THE BRIGADE COMMANDER. THIS FORCE TOOK A POSITION IN THE FRONT AND ON THE RIGHT OF THE ROAD LEADING TO HAGERSTOWN, AND SUFFERED SEVERELY FROM THE ENEMY'S BATTERIES. THE SECOND (AND REMAINING) BATTALION, NOW NUMBERING BUT 55 MEN, WAS ORDERED TO THE FRONT, AND, UNDER MAJOR WELLS, WAS ORDERED TO CHARGE THE ENEMY, IN A STRONG POSITION ON THE HAGERSTOWN ROAD, AT A POINT WHERE THERE WAS A BRIDGE. THE CHARGE WAS SPIRITEDLY MADE AND SABERS FREELY USED, AS THE HEADS OF MY MEN WILL ATTEST; BUT, NOT BEING IN SUFFICIENT NUMBERS, OUR MEN WERE OBLIGED TO COME BACK, BUT NOT WITHOUT INFLICTING SERIOUS INJURY UPON THE ENEMY. I