SIDE OF TOWN. THE ENEMY SHELLED THE REAR OF OUR COLUMN. REMAINED IN POSITION ALL NIGHT.

JULY 8. -REPORT CAME ABOUT 8 A. M. THAT THE ENEMY WAS ADVANCING IN FORCE ON THE BOONSBOROUGH AND HAGERSTOWN PIKE. BATTERY MOVED TO THE FRONT WHIT THE BRIGADE, AND TOOK UP A POSITION ON RIGHT OF ROAD, AND SOON OPENED WITH GOOD EFFECT ON A COLUMN OF THE ENEMY ADVANCING DOWN THE PIKE. AS SOON AS TWO GUNS HAD BEEN FIRED, THE ENEMY OPENED WITH THEIR BATTERIES. IN THIS POSITION SOME GOOD FIRING WAS DONE AT A REBEL BATTERY POSTED NEAR A BARN ON LEFT SIDE OF PIKE; OBLIGED IT TO TAKE UP A NEW POSITION. WE REMAINED IN THIS POSITION ABOUT THREE HOURS, WHEN, IN CONSEQUENCE OF THE ENEMY WORKING ROUND ON OUR LEFT TO GAIN POSSESSION OF THE WILLIAMSPORT PIKE, WE WERE ORDERED TO FALL BACK TO THE RIGHT OF THE TOWN. SCARCELY HAD THIS BEEN DONE WHEN COLONEL GAMBLE WAS ORDERED TO REOCCUPY THE GROUND HE HAD LEFT. THE ENEMY'S BATTERIES HAD IN THE MEANTIME, UNDER GOOD COVER, WORKED UP VERY CLOSE TO OUR POSITION. THE ENEMY'S SHARPSHOOTERS HAD ALSO GAINED POSSESSION OF A STONE BARN, FROM WHICH IT WAS NECESSARY TO DISLODGE THEM BEFORE WE COULD ADVANCE. LIEUTENANT RODER WAS DETACHED WITH ONE PIECE FOR THIS PURPOSE. SCARCELY HAD HE FIRED THE FIRST SHOT, WHEN A REBEL BATTERY OPENED ON HIM ABOUT 1, 000 YARDS IN FRONT. THEIR FIRST SHOT SEVERELY WOUNDED 1 MAN AND KILLED 1 HORSE. I PLACED THE REMAINDER OF THE BATTERY IN POSITION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, AND OPENED. THE ENEMY HAVING OBTAINED ACCURATE RANGE OF MY POSITION, THE FIRE WAS EXTREMELY WARM. BY WELL-DIRECTED SHOTS, HOWEVER, THEY WERE DRIVEN, AND AS OUR SKIRMISHERS ADVANCED, I TOOK UP A MORE ADVANCED POSITION WITH MY BATTERY, AND OPENED AGAIN, BUT BEING NEARLY OUT OF AMMUNITION, ONLY A FEW ROUNDS WERE FIRED AT THEIR RETREATING CAVALRY. IT BEING NEARLY DARK, WE WERE ORDERED TO WITHDRAW TO OUR OLD CAMP.

JULY 9. -THE ENEMY WERE AGAIN DRIVEN. I TOOK UP THREE SUCCESSIVE POSITIONS, AND OPENED WITH MY BATTERY. THE LAST POSITION WAS HELD DURING THE NIGHT WITH HORSES IN HARNESS.

JULY 10. -OUR SKIRMISHERS ADVANCED ABOUT DAYLIGHT. BATTERY OPENED ON ENEMY'S SKIRMISHERS, WHO WERE IN A STRONG LINE, WITH GOOD EFFECT. AS OUR SKIRMISHERS ADVANCED, I TOOK UP A SECOND POSITION, AND SHORTLY AFTER A THIRD, WITH ONE SECTION. NO SOONER HAD I OPENED WITH THIS SECTION, THAN EIGHT GUNS OF THE ENEMY OPENED FROM THE RIDGE BEYOND, ABOUT 1, 000 YARDS, AND A VERY SHORT DISTANCE FROM FUNKSTOWN, MD. AS SOON AS I DISCOVERED THEIR FORCE, I SENT BACK FOR THE THEIR SECTION IMMEDIATELY-ALSO WORD TO GENERAL BUFORD-AND FOR THE MOMENT WITHDREW MY GUNS UNDER COVE. HERE I HAD 1 HORSE KILLED. ABOUT FIVE MINUTES AFTER, OUR SKIRMISHERS ADVANCED AND THE ENEMY'S BATTERIES WITHDREW TO A POSITION ON THE RIGHT OF FUNKSTOWN, FROM WHICH THEY ATTEMPTED TO PREVENT, BY A WARM FIRE OF ARTILLERY, OUR FARTHER ADVANCE UP THE PIKE. AS SOON AS MY OTHER SECTION CAME UP, I OCCUPIED THE NEXT RIDGE BEYOND, JUST ABANDONED BY THE ENEMY. HERE I REMAINED ABOUT FOUR HOURS ENGAGED WITH THE ENEMY'S BATTERIES. THEIR SHARPSHOOTERS HAD GAINED POSSESSION OF ALL THE BUILDINGS AND OUTHOUSES ON THE EDGE OF TOWN, AND SUCCEEDED IN OPENING A WARM FIRE ON OUR SKIRMISHERS AND MY CANNONEERS. AFTER AWHILE, OUR CARBINEERS GETTING OUT OF AMMUNITION AND THE INFANTRY NOT COMING UP TO OCCUPY OUR POSITION, WE WERE OBLIGED TO WITHDRAW. WE RETURNED, AND BIVOUACKED NEAR TO WHERE WE WERE IN POSITION THE NIGHT BEFORE. IN THIS ENGAGEMENT, NOTWITHSTANDING THE FIRE WAS VERY HOT, I HAD ONLY 1 MAN WOUNDED AND 1 HORSE KILLED.