passing over . A few slight casualties occurred in the Thirty-seventh Regiment . Orders had been given by General Smith not to fire a gun unless it came to close quarters, which in my judgment was eminently judicious under the circumstances . We had but two light field pieces, and the enemy seven, and much superior force . A flag of truce was sent in, demanding a surrender; our commander, in reply, desiring the enemy to come in and take us, he was doubt deterred from making the attempt, under an apprehension that we were much stronger, than we were . The shelling continued during the greater part of the night . The principal arsenal, situate about half a mile east from the town, were fired with torches, and burned down, about an hour before daylight, the enemy retired. The force opposed to us was said to embody about 3, 500 cavalry, with several pieces of artillery, under Fitzburg Lee. I have but little doubt it was the same that saluted on my left the preceding evening, and had remained in my rear when I entered Carlisle, several stragglers of the Thirty-seventh Regiment having been made prisoners that afternoon and paroled; also Mr. Dougherty, of General Smith's staff, while on his way to Carlisle . He was subsequently paroled, and fell in with the division at Papertown, while on the, march southward . We remained at Carlisle during the 2nd and 3rd of July, the Eleventh Regiment National Guard rejoining my command at the latter date, having arrived with the remaining corps of the division, consisting of three regiments New York State National Guard, of New York City, under command of the Brigadier-General Knipe, three regiments, composing the Eleventh Brigade, New York State National Guard, Of Brooklyn, commanded by Brig. General Jesse C. Smith, and a section of Landis' battery, the whole under the command of General Knipe . This column, is appears by the annexed communication General Jesse C. Smith, left Fort Washington for Carlisle on the afternoon of the day my command arched from Oyster Point, July 1, arriving on the 3rd . They "heard heavy firing in the direction of Carlisle " before halting, and saw " the light from the burning barracks at that place . " The column halted about 9 o'clock at night . "General Knipe going forward to see if he could get communication with General W. F. Smith, then at Carlisle, " about 13 miles distant, and did not return until after 2 o'clock in the morning . At 3 o'clock General Couch, pursuant to whose directions my command of two small regiments, comprising about 900 men and two field pieces, had been ordered to follow up the enemy the preceding night, without rations or blankets, and while deemed to be engaged with the enemy, sent peremptory order for this command to return to Fort Washington . It is but, just, however, to General Couch to say that at the time of giving such orders it was too late for this force to render any assistance to the troops at Carlisle . Had it, however, gone forward promptly, and quietly entered the town during the bombardment, as it might unquestionably have done several hours before the retirement of the enemy, it could, as a separate disposable force, have been instrumental in surprising and effectively destroying or capturing the enemy, who could have been surprised and attacked on his left flank or rear from the south side of the town at any time before his retirement . Being a cavalry force, hemmed in by a road, a single