THE HEAD OF HIS COLUMN INTO THE MIDST OF THE ENEMY, AND WAS SHOT THROUGH THE HEAD. IN LESS THAN AN HOUR I SUCCEEDED IN FORMING MY ENTIRE LINE, COVERING THE FORD, AND ADVANCED ON THE ENEMY. HIS FORCE WAS SO SUPERIOR TO MINE, AT LEAST THREE TO ONE AT EVERY POINT, THAT I DETERMINED TO HOLD HIM UNTIL I COULD HEAR FROM GREGG. AFTER VERY HEAVY SKIRMISHING AND ARTILLERY FIRING FOR SEVERAL HOURS, THE DISTANT BOOM OF GREGG'S GUNS WAS HEARD COMING UP ON THE LEFT AND REAR OF THE ENEMY. I IMMEDIATELY ORDERED THE WHOLE LINE TO ADVANCE, AND THE ENEMY GAVE WAY RAPIDLY. THE CAMP OF THE STUART HORSE ARTILLERY, WITH IMPORTANT PAPERS, WAS CAPTURED, AND GREGG'S FORCE SEIZED STUART'S HEADQUARTERS WITH ALL ITS DOCUMENTS. A JUNCTION WAS THEN FORMED WITH GREGG, AND ORDERS WERE ISSUED TO PRESS THE ENEMY AT ALL POINTS. THIS WAS DONE UNTIL IT WAS DISCOVERED INFANTRY WAS BEING BROUGHT UP IN THE CARS TO BRANDY STATION VERY RAPIDLY, AS WAS ALSO A HEAVY COLUMN ON FOOT FROM CULPEPER. WE HAD ALSO CAPTURED INFANTRY SOLDIERS. THESE FACTS DETERMINED ME TO WITHDRAW TO THE NORTH SIDE OF THE RAPPAHANNOCK. ORDERS WERE ACCORDINGLY GIVEN FOR GREGG TO RETIRE BY THE FORD AT RAPPAHANNOCK BRIDGE, WHILE BUFORD SHOULD RETURN BY THE WAY OF BEVERLY FORD. BEFORE, HOWEVER, THIS MOVEMENT COMMENCED A GRAND ATTACK WAS MADE BY OUR RIGHT, AND THE FINEST FIGHTING OF THE WAR TOOK PLACE. REGIMENTS OF OUR CAVALRY WOULD CHARGE WHOLE BRIGADES OF THE ENEMY, WOULD RALLY AND CHARGE AGAIN, NEVER YIELDING, AND ALWAYS CRUSHING THE MASS OPPOSED TO THEM. THE ENEMY'S CAVALRY WOULD RETREAT, AND THEIR OFFICERS WERE SEEN TO SABER AND SHOOT HEIR MEN TO KEEP THEM UP TO THE FIGHT. I RAPIDLY RE-ENFORCED THIS POINT, AND GENERAL BUFORD WITHDREW HIS COMMAND IN BEAUTIFUL STYLE TO THIS SIDE, THE ENEMY NOT DARING TO FOLLOW, BUT SHOWING HIS CHAGRIN AND MORTIFICATION BY AN ANGRY AND SHARP CANNONADING. THE THIRD DIVISION, UNDER THE IMMEDIATE ORDERS OF GENERAL GREGG, INFLICTED A SEVERE LOSS ON THE ENEMY NEAR BRANDY STATION, AND WOULD HAVE ACHIEVED MORE HAD COLONEL DUFFIE, COMMANDING THE SECOND DIVISION, BROUGHT UP HIS COMMAND TO HIS ASSISTANCE IN THE TIME HE SHOULD HAVE DONE. THIS DELAY CAUSED THE LOSS OF TWO GUNS OF THE SIXTH NEW YORK BATTERY, AS GREGG HAD HIS WHOLE FORCE ENGAGED WITH SUPERIOR MASSES AND THE SECTION COULD NOT BE PROPERLY SUPPORTED; BUT THIS MISHAP ONLY REFLECTED HIGHER HONOR ON LIEUTENANT MARTIN, WHO FOUGHT HIS GUNS TO THE LAST, HAD 21 MEN OF HIS SMALL PARTY KILLED AND WOUNDED, WITH 32 HORSES, AND THEN RENDERED HIS GUNS USELESS BY SPIKING ONE AND RAMMING A SHOT THE WRONG WAY INTO THE OTHER; BUT 30 ROUNDS WERE LEFT TO THESE GUNS WHEN TAKEN, AND ALL THE FUSES WERE DESTROYED BY THE GUNNERS. FOR THIS NOBLE DEFENSE OF THEIR GUNS, I REQUEST THIS BATTERY MAY BE PERMITTED TO PLACE THE NAME OF BEVERLY FORD ON THEIR GUIDON. I ALSO ASK THIS HONOR TO BE ACCORDED TO THE REGIMENTS OF THE THIRD DIVISION, THE FIRST DIVISION, AND THE RESERVE BRIGADE OF CAVALRY. THREE COLORS AND 279 PRISONERS, INCLUDING A NUMBER OF OFFICERS, WERE CAPTURED IN THIS BATTLE. I HAVE THE HONOR TO RECOMMEND BRIGADIER-GENERAL BUFORD AND GREGG FOR PROMOTION FOR THE GALLANTRY AND ABILITY WITH WHICH THEY FOUGHT THEIR RESPECTIVE COMMANDS. THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THESE OFFICERS ARE ALSO FULLY INDORSED. THE FOLLOWING OFFICERS CAME ESPECIALLY UNDER MY NOTICE: COLONEL DEVIN, SIXTH NEW YORK, COMMANDING FIRST DIVISION; CAPTAIN HARRISON, SIXTH CAVALRY, COMMANDING REGIMENT; CAPTAIN LORD, FIRST CAVALRY,