INHABITANTS CONFIRMED THE STORY OF THE SCOUT ABOUT THE MOVEMENTS OF THE ENEMY'S CAVALRY. WE CHARGED INTO MIDDLEBURG, BUT FOUND NOTHING EXCEPT THE TRACKS OF THE CAVALRY ON THE ROAD LEADING TO ALDIE. PICKETS WHERE THROWN OUT IN EVERY DIRECTION, AND A POSITION TAKEN IN A WOOD ABOUT HALF A MILE FROM THE TOWN TOWARD HOPEWELL GAP. THE PICKETS WERE ATTACKED ON EACH ROAD ABOUT THE SAME TIME BY THE BRIGADE RETURNING FROM ALDIE, AND BY ANOTHER BRIGADE (ROBERTSON'S) COMING FROM UPPERVILLE. THE PICKETS HELD THEIR GROUND MANFULLY, BUT WERE OVERPOWERED AND RETIRED WITH SOME LOSS. AFTER DRIVING IN THE PICKETS THE ENEMY (ROBERTSON'S BRIGADE IN ADVANCE) CHARGED DOWN THE ROAD TOWARD OUR POSITION, BUT WERE HANDSOMELY REPULSED BY THE CARBINEERS, DISMOUNTED, IN THE WOODS AND BEHIND THE STONE WALLS. ONLY ONE-THIRD OF THE REGIMENT WAS ARMED WITH CARBINES. THREE SUCCESSIVE CHARGES WERE REPULSED BY THE DISMOUNTED MEN, WHEN THE ENEMY DISMOUNTED A LARGE NUMBER OF MEN AND NEARLY SURROUNDED THE WOODS IN WHICH OUR POSITION HAD BEEN TAKEN. WE THEN RETIRED UNDER COVER OF THE NIGHT TOWARD LITTLE RIVER. SOME OF OUR MEN, MISTAKING THE ENEMY'S COLUMNS FOR OUR OWN, WERE CAPTURED IN THIS ENGAGEMENT, BUT WE LOST NONE KILLED OR WOUNDED. THE ENEMY'S LOSS IN THIS NIGHT ATTACK CAN ONLY BE ASCERTAINED FROM THEMSELVES, AND THEY ADMIT FROM 25 TO 150. MAJOR FARRINGTON, WITH OTHER OFFICERS AND A FEW MEN WHO HAD BEEN DISMOUNTED, LAY CONCEALED NEAR MIDDLEBURG DURING THE NIGHT AND ALL THE NEXT DAY, ARRIVING SAFELY AT ALDIE ON THE 19TH. WE LAY ALL NIGHT ON THE BANKS OF LITTLE RIVER IN A VERY SECLUDED SPOT, INTENDING IN THE MORNING TO FIND OUR WAY OVER THE MOUNTAINS TO ALDIE. ON THE MORNING OF THE 18TH, COMING OUT OF OUR HIDING PLACE, WE DISCOVERED THE ENEMY COMPLETELY SURROUNDING US. WE FORCED A WAY, HOWEVER, TOWARD THE MOUNTAINS, BUT WITH SEVERE LOSS, AND RETREATED AS RAPIDLY AS POSSIBLE. WE SUFFERED VERY SEVERELY IN OUR RETREAT, ONLY 84 REACHING THE LINES OF OUR ARMY. OF THOSE WHO ESCAPED SOME FOUND THEIR WAY ON FOOT OVER THE MOUNTAINS, BUT MOST FOLLOWED COLONEL DUFFIE THROUGH HOPEWELL GAP. THERE WERE MANY INSTANCES OF COOLNESS AND COURAGE ON THE PART OF OFFICERS AND MEN, SOME OF WHICH HAVE BEEN HANDSOMELY ACKNOWLEDGED. THIS REGIMENT TOOK NO PART IN ANY OF THE OTHER ENGAGEMENTS AT MIDDLEBURG OR UPPERVILLE. OUR LOSS IN THE AFFAIR WAS:

 

Officers and men.	Killed	Wounded	Missing and prisoners	Total
Commissioned officers.	1	3	6	10
Enlisted men	4	7	193	204
Total	5	10	199	214

VERY RESPECTFULLY, YOUR OBEDIENT SERVANT,

J. L. THOMPSON,

LIEUTENANT-COLONEL, COMMANDING REGIMENT.

Captain A. WRIGHT,

A. A. A. G. 1ST BRIG., 2nd DIV., CAVALRY CORPS.