from General Sturgis to move rapidly to Mossy Creek. At 2.05 the brigade reported, and engaged the enemy on the right of the Morristown road.

A third of the command was dismounted and deployed on the woods on the extreme right of our line and the remainder moved forward in column or line, as the ground demanded, near our left center. The enemy was driven to Talbott's Station, 4 miles from Mossy Creek, when the brigade was halted and encamped in obedience to orders from the general commanding. The Fourth Indiana Cavalry captured 4 prisoners. A considerable number of arms were picked up and destroyed.

Owing to the great exertions made by the enemy to carry off his dead and wounded, no estimate of his loss can be made. Four of his dead have been found and buried, and 8 wounded are reported in house near. Our loss was as follows:*

All the officers and men of the brigade did their duty. To mention particular actions would appear invidious.

Most respectfully,

O. H. LA GRANGE,

Colonel, Commanding Brigade.

Captain JOHN PRATT, Assistant Adjutant-General.

Numbers 8.

Report of Colonel William J. Palmer, Fifteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry.

HDQRS.15TH PENN. CAV., DEPT. OF THE CUMBERLAND,
Stokely Williams', near Mossy Creek, December 30, 1863.

SIR: I have the honor to report that on yesterday morning my command, composed of detachments of the Fifteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry, the Tenth Ohio Cavalry, and the First East Tennessee Mounted Infantry, numbering in all about 250 men, was encamped at Montcastle's, 3 miles from Mossy Creek, on the road to mouth of Chucky. Being able to detect from a point of observation on a high hill near Montcastle's that our forces were falling back from Talbott's, on the Morristown road, and it being apparent that the enemy's cavalry would soon reach the mount of Chucky road, between my camp and Mossy Creek, I moved my command, at about 11 a. m., in accordance with orders from Brigadier-General Elliott, which provided for this contingency, back toward Mossy Creek. Lieutenant Rogers' company, of the First East Tennessee Mounted Infantry, whom I detached for the purpose and sent into a woods on my flank, immediately became engaged, and help the road until the rest of the command reached Benjamin Branner's and was got into position, immediately in rear of the houses and out-buildings of Benjamin Branner and William Mann, on both sides of the mount of Chucky road.

My command was ordered to hold this position and to support a battery placed on the hill in rear of it, near Widow Mendenhall's barn, which, I am happy to state, they successfully did (in connection with a squadron of the Ninth Pennsylvania Cavalry) in face of a greatly superior force of the enemy's cavalry, alternately mounted and dismounted, which assailed the position. We captured here 1 prisoners belonging to the Third Alabama Cavalry.

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

* Nominal list (omitted) shows 3 men killed and 1 officers and 11 men wounded.

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