instructions, I quietly withdrew, and taking the Hungarytown road proceeded to the Danville railroad, near Meherrin Station, and thence to Keysville, where I bivouacked for the night.

Early on the morning of the 25th instant again took up line of march, my brigade bringing up rear of column and proceeding slowly up the Danville road, making several details for the work of destruction of the railroad, until near sundown; when near the crossing of the Little Roanoke River the enemy again came up with my rear and some light skirmishing ensued. I made dispositions to meet an attack, but the enemy showed little disposition for fight and contented himself with opening fire at long range from a section of rifled pieces, by which one piece of Maynadier's battery, serving with my brigade, was disabled but brought off.

My forces remained in position until 2 a.m. on the morning of the 26th, when, in compliance with orders, I withdrew and proceeded up the railroad to Roanoke Station, where the direction of march was changed, and following the First Brigade we passed through Christianville and encamped at Buckhorn Creek. On the 27th crossed the Meherrin River at Saffold's Bridge, my brigade leading the advance of the column, and after several hours' halt on the north bank of the stream we turned from the main road at Columbian Grove, and securing guides along the way proceeded by cross-roads across the country through a well-settled district to the Boydton plank road and bivouacked for the night on Great Creek. Marching early the next morning, following the First Brigade, proceeded, via Smoky Ordinary, to Poplar Mountain or the Double Bridges, over the Nottoway River, which we reached about noon. Here the command halted to water, and one of the regiments of my brigade (the Third Indiana Cavalry) was ordered to proceed out the road leading to Stony Creek Depot as far as Sappony Cross-Roads near the station, at which point the enemy was met, and the column following shortly after I was ordered to send another regiment to assist the First Brigade in an attack upon the enemy's position, it being, it being then after dark. Subsequently I placed the Eighth New York and Twenty-second New York Cavalry in reserve line of battle.

Just previous to daylight on the morning of the 29th I was ordered by Colonel McIntosh, commanding division, to place my command in position along the face of a piece of timber in rear of the first position held by our forces, and to hold the position as long as possible, or until I received word the road was clear, so that I could retire with my command. I formed line of battle dismounted, with the First Vermont on the left Eighth New York, Third Indiana, and Twenty-second New York on the right and hastily threw up a small work of rails. At full daylight the enemy advanced upon my front in strong line of battle, dismounted, and simultaneously made a strong attack upon the left flank and upon my led horses with mounted and dismounted men. My line gave back hurriedly, and many of the men were unable to reach their horses on the road upon which the column had moved off. Being myself dismounted and cut off from the road, I gathered together some 300 of my command, and proceeding by a circuitous route I succeeded in reaching the main body about noon near Reams' Station. In the retrograde movement from this last point my command was assigned the advance, and moving back across the Double Bridges over the Nottoway took the road to Jarratt's Station. About two miles from the last-named point the command halted a couple of hours in the road, and soon after daylight on the morning of the 30th crossed the railroad at