prisoners to the rear, numbered only about 80 men, we were confronted

by such forces that we were prevented making any farther advance. I

therefore withdrew a short distance and again deployed our Hue, enga-

ging the enemy with both cavalry and artillery until night, and prevented

this large force from taking any other part in the contest of that day.

Early in the day I sent a battalion under Major Adrian to re-enforce the

picket on the Perryville and Mitchellsburg road, the enemy having

pressed upon us at that point with apparent indication of an attempt

to gain our rear. Major Adrian skirmished with them and held them

at bay until we retired the following morning.

On the morning of the 9th I received orders to hold the enemy in

cheek until our army had withdrawn from the field and then to follow

on toward Danville, retarding the enemy as much as possible. In com-

plying with this order we frequently engaged the enemy that day and

the day following, besides keeping a force in observation of the road

from Perryville to Harrodsburg.

On the evening of the 10th I learned from this force that the enemy

were moving from the Perryville and Harrodsburg pike toward Dan-

ville, which information was promptly communicated to the general

commanding.

On the morning of the 11th,* after a severe engagement, in which

Colonel Wade's regiment participated, he having just arrived from Ten-

nessee and reported to me, we were obliged to fall back behind Dan-

ville, where we remained until the evening of the 12th, when I received

orders to move across Dick's River and guard the fords below Camp

Dick Robinson.

On the morning of the 13th I received orders directing me to assume

control of all our mounted forces as chief of cavalry and make the nece-

ssary dispositions to cover the movement our army was about to com-

mence. I therefore recrossed Dick's River, and finding that the general

advance of the enemy was toward Lancaster and Stanford, I left small

forces, with all necessary orders to guard the several fords and the Bry-

antsville road, and with the bulk of my own and Wharton's brigades

moved over to the roads leading from Danville to Lancaster and Stan-

ford. My own brigade was placed on the former road and Colonel Whar-

ton's on the latter. The enemy were pushing forward, but, by contin-

ually fighting them, they repeatedly deployed their lines for battle, and

consequently progressed very slowly.

We arrived at Lancaster on the afternoon of the 15th [14], and after

fight, in which we disabled a battery, prevented the enemy from ap-

proaching nearer than to within 2 or 3 miles of the town. Colonel John H.

Morgan and Colonel Ashby reported to me with their brigades, but they

were not called into action.

Having received information from Colonel Wharton, then near Stan-

ford, that he was warmly pressed, after ascertaining from a personal re-

connaissance that the enemy in my front were not in large force, and

that they had fallen back and gone into camp for the night, I started at

about 10 p.m. to assist Colonel Wharton, leaving Colonels Morgan and

Ashby to cover the road from Lancaster to Big Hill. .

We arrived at Colonel Wharton's position early on the morning of

the 16th [15?], and allowed him to move in toward the main army with

his brigade, while with my own we engaged a large force of the enemy,

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

*See October 10-22 1862. Pursuit of Confederate forces from Perryville to Lon-

don, Ky.:

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