WAS NOW ORDERED TO DRAW IN MY VARIOUS DETACHMENTS, AND TO GO INTO CAMP IN MY OLD POSITION, WHICH I ACCORDINGLY OBEYED. THE LOSS IN THIS ACTION IS 2 KILLED, 8 WOUNDED, AND 5 MISSING.

VERY RESPECTFULLY, YOUR OBEDIENT SERVANT,

A. W. PRESTON,

LIEUTENANT-COLONEL, COMMANDING FIRST VERMONT CAVALRY.

Captain L. SIEBERT,

ASSISTANT ADJUTANT-GENERAL.

Numbers 366. REPORT OF Colonel EDWARD B. SAWYER, FIRST VERMONT CAVALRY.

GROVETON, VA.,

OCTOBER 24, 1863.

SIR: I HAVE THE HONOR OF SUBMITTING TO YOU THE FOLLOWING REPORT OF THE PART TAKEN BY THIS REGIMENT IN THE MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA CAMPAIGN, FROM JULY 10 TO 25: I REJOINED THE REGIMENT AT BOONSBOROUGH ON JULY 10, HAVING BEEN SEPARATED FROM IT SINCE THE 22nd ULTIMO BY PAINFUL BUT UNAVOIDABLE NECESSITY. IN THIS INTERIM THE REGIMENT HAD PASSE THROUGH AN ARDUOUS BUT ITS SPIRIT AS GOOD AS EVER. THE ENEMY, THOUGH BEATEN AT GETTYSBURG, WAS IN OUR IMMEDIATE FRONT IN STRONG FORCE, AND ANOTHER GREAT AND DECISIVE BATTLE WAS DAILY EXPECTED. WE WERE ORDERED TO ADVANCE ON THE AFTERNOON OF THE 10TH, AND NIGHT MARCHES AND SKIRMISHING AND PICKETING CONSTITUTED OUR DUTIES. WE HAD ADVANCED AND OCCUPIED HAGERSTOWN ON THE 12TH. ON THE AFTERNOON OF JULY 13, I WAS ORDERED TO REPORT WITH MY REGIMENT TO GENERAL KILPATRICK AT HIS HEADQUARTERS. I FOUND IT TO BE HIS INTENTION TO MAKE A RECONNAISSANCE TO THE LEFT OF THE ENEMY'S LINE OF WORKS ABOVE THE TOWN WITH MY REGIMENT AND SOME PENNSYLVANIA MILITIA. LEAVING THE TOWN, THE INFANTRY TOOK THE ADVANCE. JUST AT THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE TOWN, A STRONG LINE OF THE ENEMY'S PICKETS WAS ENCOUNTERED IN FRONT OF THEIR EARTHWORKS. I WAS ORDERED TO SEND FORWARD A SQUADRON AS SKIRMISHERS, WHICH I DID, SUPPORTING THEM WITH MY WHOLE COMMAND. MY SKIRMISHERS TOOK THE ADVANCE, AND MY WHOLE COMMAND PASSED THE INFANTRY, WHO WERE COVERED BY A STRONG FENCE. CAPTAIN CUMMINGS COMMANDED THE SKIRMISHERS, AND HE AND LIEUTENANT GRANT LED THEM UP IN GALLANT STYLE. A VERY SPIRITED SKIRMISH ENSUED, OUR BOYS, NOW ASSISTED BY THE INFANTRY SKIRMISHERS, STEADILY DRIVING THE ENEMY. HERE GENERAL KILPATRICK ORDERED ME TO SEND A SQUADRON-"ONLY A SQUADRON"- TO CHARGE. THE ENEMY'S LINE OF SKIRMISHERS WAS DEPLOYED ON THE RIGHT AND LEFT OF THE ROAD, WHICH HAD A VERY STRONG AND HIGH FENCE ON EACH SIDE. CAPTAIN SCOFIELD AND LIEUTENANT NEWTON, WITH COMPANIES L AND F, LED THE CHARGE. I ORDERED THEM TO CHARGE UP THE ROAD, PASSING THE ENEMY'S SKIRMISH LINE, AND TO CAPTURE SOME OF THE ENEMY IF POSSIBLE. BY THIS TIME THE ENEMY HAD RETREATED TO NEAR THEIR EARTHWORKS AND TO THE COVER OF THE WOODS, AND THEIR FIRE, RAKING THE ROAD, WAS SHARP AND GALLING LED BY CAPTAIN SCOFIELD AND LIEUTENANT NEWTON, THE BOYS ABSOLUTELY "PITCHED IN" TO THIS CHARGE. IT HAD BECOME APPARENT AS