camped near Middletown in rear of our line. Such a camp should be selected from which the cavalry can easily reach the Front Royal and Cedar Creek roads.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

[P. G. BIER,]

Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF WEST VIRGINIA,
Cedar Creek, Va., May 19, 1864.

Major-General STAHEL,

Commanding Cavalry Division:

GENERAL: The commanding general wishes to be informed whether you have sent any cavalry south of Cedar Creek going in a southerly direction on the Back road. They are said to number about 300 men and [may be] Mosby's men in our uniform.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

[P. G. BIER,]

Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS THIRD CAVALRY BRIGADE,
Camp near Cedar Creek, May 19, 1864.

Lieutenant THOMAS H. WELLSTED,

Actg. Asst. Adjt. Hdqrs. First Cavalry Division:

LIEUTENANT: I have the honor to report that after the detail of 250 men just furnished there remain 197 men available for duty in this brigade. I would further remark that the men just sent out only returned from duty this day.

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JNO. E. WYNKOOP,

Colonel, Commanding Brigade.

HDQRS. FIRST BRIGADE, FIRST CAVALRY DIVISION,
Camp near Cedar Creek, Va., May 19, 1864.

Lieutenant THOMAS H. WELLSTED,

Acting Assistant Adjutant-General:

SIR: I have the honor to inform you of the receipt of your communication in relation to detail of thirty men. Immediately on the return of my adjutant (Lieutenant Hill) he ordered the detail, half from the Twenty-first New York Cavalry and the balance from the First New York Veteran Cavalry. Some half an hour after making the detail I received a communication from Lieutenant Colonel J. S. Platner, commanding First New York Veteran Cavalry, stating that he could not fill his detail except by taking some of his regiment who had, just returned from a scout since yesterday. I then made a detail of one non-commissioned officer and fifteen men of the Fourteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry, and received and answer from Captain Ashell F. Duncan, commanding, that he had not sufficient men present equipped to fill same.