THE BRIGADE COMMANDED BY GENERAL KILPATRICK, WAS ORDERED TO ADVANCE UP THE SNICKER'S GAP ROAD AND DRIVE THE ENEMY FROM THE HEIGHTS ON OUR RIGHT. THE FIRST SQUADRON, CAPTAIN SERGEANT COMMANDING, DEPLOYED AS SKIRMISHERS, ADVANCED UP THE HILL, DRIVING THE ENEMY A SHORT DISTANCE, WHEN THEY WERE CHARGED UPON BY A SQUADRON OF THE ENEMY'S CAVALRY. THIS WAS MET BY THAT PORTION OF THE SQUADRON ACTING AS A RESERVE FOR THE SKIRMISHERS BY A COUNTER CHARGE. THE ENEMY WAS DRIVEN 1 1/2 MILES, WHEN A LARGE BODY OF THE ENEMY'S CAVALRY APPEARED IN THEIR REAR. THE REMAINING SQUADRONS NOT COMING UP PROMPTLY AND OCCUPYING THE GROUND GAINED BY THE FIRST SQUADRON, IT WAS ENTIRELY CUT OFF FROM THE MAIN BODY, AND THE HEIGHTS AGAIN HELD BY THE ENEMY. AT THIS TIME THE SECOND SQUADRON, CAPTAIN TEWKSBURY COMMANDING, ARRIVED, AND CHARGING, WITH LIEUTENANT-COLONEL CURTIS AND MAJOR CHAMBERLAIN, THEN NOT ON DUTY, DROVE THE ENEMY A SHORT DISTANCE. THE LATTER SOON RALLIED, HOWEVER, AND COMING BACK IN OVERWHELMING NUMBERS THE SQUADRON, FELL BACK THROUGH A RAVINE TO A HILL BEYOND OCCUPIED BY THE THIRD SQUADRON, UNDER COMMAND OF CAPTAIN ADAMS. THE FOURTH SQUADRON, LIEUTENANT DAVIS COMMANDING, THEN CHARGED UP THE ROAD, BUT WAS IMMEDIATELY CUT OFF AND THE LARGER PORTION KILLED, WOUNDED, OR CAPTURED. AT THIS TIME THE THIRD SQUADRON ADVANCED A SHORT DISTANCE, BUT BEING MET BY A MOST SEVERE FLANK FIRE FROM THE ENEMY, WHO THEN OCCUPIED THE ROAD AND THE FIELD BEYOND, THE STONE WALLS BEING LINED BY THEIR SHARPSHOOTERS, THIS SQUADRON WITH THE SECOND WAS OBLIGED TO FALL BACK AT SHORT DISTANCES WITH FREQUENT LOSS. AT THIS MOMENT THE FOURTH NEW YORK CAVALRY, BEING ORDERED TO OUR SUPPORT, CAME UP, BUT IMMEDIATELY TURNED AND FELL BACK IN CONFUSION, THUS CAUSING A COMPLETE ROUT. MAJOR HIGGINSON, CAPTAIN SERGEANT, AND LIEUTENANT FILLEBROWN, WHO ACCOMPANIED THE FIRST SQUADRON, WERE SEVERELY WOUNDED, AND LIEUTENANTS DAVIS DUCHESNEY, HIGGINSON, AND CAREY, OF THE FOURTH SQUADRON, WERE TAKEN PRISONERS; THE LATTER IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN KILLED. THE LOSS OF THE REGIMENT IN THE ABOVE ENGAGEMENT WAS AS FOLLOWS: KILLED, 26 ENLISTED MEN; WOUNDED, 3 OFFICERS AND 52 ENLISTED MEN; MISSING, 4 OFFICERS AND 84 ENLISTED MEN. VERY GREAT GALLANTRY WAS SHOWN BY OFFICERS AND MEN. IN THE BATTLE OF MIDDLEBURG THE REGIMENT ACTED AS A RESERVE AND WAS NOT ACTIVELY ENGAGED. DURING THE BATTLE OF UPPERVILLE THE REGIMENT WAS ENGAGED IN SUPPORTING THE THIRD U. S. BATTERY. * IT MET WITH NO LOSS. THE ABOVE REPORT HAS BEEN COMPILED FROM THE REPORTS OF THE ONLY OFFICERS NOW WITH THE REGIMENT, ALL OF WHICH REPORTS ARE SUBMITTED WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE REPORT OF MAJOR CHAMBERLAIN, WHICH HE HAS WITH HIM ON DETACHED SERVICE, BUT WHICH CONFIRMS THE REPORT SUBMITTED. AN ORDER HAS BEEN SENT TO LIEUTENANT-COLONEL CURTIS AND MAJOR HIGGINSON FOR THEIR REPORTS.

VERY RESPECTFULLY, YOUR OBEDIENT SERVANT,

HORACE B. SERGEANT,

COLONEL FIRST MASSACHUSETTS CAVALRY,

Captain A. WRIGHT,

ACTG. ASST. ADJT. GENERAL, FIRST CAVALRY BRIGADE.

---------------

* BATTERY C, THIRD U. S. ARTILLERY.

---------------