west of the road, in a field, and two companies (A and B) were deployed as skirmishers to contest the rebel advance. The enemy at once took possession of a woody eminence, some distance in front, and proceeded to establish a battery on its summit. Slight skirmishing then ensued, and the enemy shortly after fired one or two shots, which however, fell short of the regiment. After this, matters remained nearly quiet until about 3 p. m., the enemy apparently being engaged in bringing up re-enforcement and making his dispositions for a more general attack. At that hour the companies of skirmishers fell back upon the regiment, which retired slowly to the outskirts of the city, where it formed to the support of Battery L, Fifth U. S. Artillery, which had been advanced to our assistance. Battery L immediately opened upon the rebel battery, which responded briskly, their shells flying over the regiment, which lay behind a wall immediately in rear of the Federal guns. The large guns of the main fort, situated a half mile to the northwest of Winchester, also joined in the contest, and the united firing proving too much for the rebels, their battery was silenced and withdrawn. Shortly after, information having been received that the enemy had occupied Berryville, some 10 miles northeast of Winchester, and were advancing from that place, the regiment was withdrawn from the Front Royal road, and thrown into the rifle-pits commanding the approaches from Berryville. It remained here without the occurrence of anything important until 1 a. m. of the 14th, when it was ordered to the defenses immediately in shelter of the main fort, where it rested until daylight. It then proceeded to the southern portion of the city, to the defense of some quartermaster's and commissary property which was in process of removal, and which was rendered insecure by the somewhat defenseless condition of the city in that quarter. Some of the companies skirmished for a short time with small parties of rebels who had penetrated the outskirts of the place, but the whole command was again ordered to the defenses on the northwest, commanding the Berryville road, in which direction the line s of the enemy could now be discovered. Severe firing shortly ensued, which lasted for several hours. The rebels took possession of a large house within rifle distance of the regiment, and annoyed it severely, delivering their fire whenever a head showed itself above the rifle-pits. It was resolved to dislodge them, and a 24-pounder brass howitzer was procured from the fort and turned upon the building. The gun was served be Captain [Isaiah B.] McDonald, of the commissary department. After the firing of several shots, some of which penetrated it, a portion of the regiment, Companies F and H, under Captain Bowen, of the latter company, charged, and captured 8 prisoners, the rest making their escape. In this affair, Private Charles Baldwin, Company F, while attempting to capture 2 rebels, was killed, and First Sergt. William Carruthers, Company H, severely wounded. Lieutenant-Colonel Nichols being sick, the regiment was this day commanded by Major Peale. We were kept in the rifle-pits until about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, when the place was attacked from an unexpected quarter, and the command, in obedience to orders, immediately fell back to the works northeast of and immediately in shelter of the main fortifications. The silence of the enemy during the previous night and early part of