was received at this place, one company of the Ringgold Cavalry, Captain Myers, was dispatched to that point, and arrived at the North Branch bridge in time to put out the fire. Neither of the bridges-mere trestle-works-were totally destroyed. Captain Myers, immediately after putting out the fire, pushed on after the enemy. This is all the loss any portion of my brigade sustained, and the partial destruction of the two above-mentioned bridges being all the injury done to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. A scouting party from this place captured during the last raid 1 rebel captain. This is all the loss I know of the rebels sustaining.

As to whose fault it was that the injury occurred, whether the fault was with the large force that lay some 18 miles in front, near the junction of the Burlington and Patterson's Creek roads, or with the mere detachments of a small company of infantry at the two bridges, I am not prepared to say.

I am, lieutenant, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

J. M. CAMPBELL,

Colonel, Commanding First Brigade.

Lieutenant M. J. RUSSELL,

Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.

Numbers 5. Report of Colonel Joseph Thoburn, First West Virginia Infantry, commanding Second Brigade.

HEADQUARTERS SECOND BRIGADE,
New Creek, W. Va., February 14, 1864.

LIEUTENANT: In reply to your communications of the 13th, asking for a detailed report of my operations from the 30th ultimo to the 6th instant, I beg leave to report as follows:

At daylight on the morning of the 30th ultimo Captain Greenfield, with a squad of 20 cavalry, ran into a camp of rebel cavalry, 1 or 2 miles south of Moorefield and returned, bringing with him a prisoner, from whom we learned that Rosser's brigade with some other detachments was there. I at once notified the commanding officer of the train, then on its way from New Creek to Petersburg, of the threatened danger; also the commanding officer of the Twenty-third Illinois Infantry, then engaged in blockading the road leading from Moorefield to Patterson's Creek Valley.

At 12 m. of the same day information was received from a deserter that Early's command was moving from the valley in the direction of Moorefield, the intention evidently being either an attack on Petersburg or the railroad. Owing to the supplies at the former place being nearly exhausted (only having rations to last until the evening of the 31st), and the uncertainty of the arrival of the train, I determined to evacuate the place, and sent a courier to the wagon train directing it to return to New Creek. But before the arrival of train directing it to return to New Creek. But before the arrival of the courier the train was captured, and information was brought back that Rosser's brigade with artillery occupied the road at the Moorefield and Alleghany Junction.

A little after dark a scouting party brought in a prisoner taken from Early, as he was going into camp on the Moorefield road, 6 or