efficient and valuable services rendered by Adjt. E. Petkin and Quartermaster A. S. Dewey. To these gentlemen I am particularly indebted, owing to the absence of the lieutenant-colonel, who had availed himself of a sick leave, and of the detachment of my senior major.

In summing up the occurrences of to-day I regret to have to report an accident befalling Major Sawyer, occasioned by the falling of his horse, seriously injuring his ankle joint and rendering him unfit for duty, and thus depriving me of the services of a valuable officer.

The casualties of the day, as soon as correctly ascertained, will be appended to this report.

May 25. My regiment this day being under the immediate eye of the brigadier-general commanding, I deem a lengthened report of its operations unnecessary, and close my report by appending the list of casualties for this and the preceding day.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

CHAS. H. THOMPKINS,

Colonel First Vermont Cavalry.

Captain JOHN A. JUDSON,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

Numbers 21. Report of Major Williams D. Collins, First Vermont Cavalry, of operations May 24-30.

WASHINGTON, D. C., June 4, 1862.

SIR: I have the honor to report that at early dawn on the morning of the 24th of May, 1862, I received an order from Colonel C. H. Tompkins, commanding First Vermont Cavalry, to report with one squadron of my battalion to Major D. D. Perkins, chief of your staff, at your headquarters, Strasburg, Va., for special service, forthwith. Pursuant to order I reported with squadron abut 6 o'clock a. m., and was instructed to join my command with five companies of the First Maine Cavalry, under Lieutenant-Colonel Douty, and proceed to Middletown, thence in an easterly direction, by the Chapel road, to the Front Royal and Winchester pike; to proceed up toward Front Royal until the force which had been stationed at Front Royal should be found by us; to leave the baggage wagons accompanying the First Maine and part of our cavalry in camp near said force; then to make a reconnaissance with part of our cavalry force to Front Royal, and beyond it, if possible, to gain information, and ascertain the casualties and condition of he force under Colonel Kenly, on the First Maryland Infantry, who it was supposed had been attacked on the afternoon of the 23rd by a portion of Jackson's force, with the intention of capturing the stores and transportation located at this point; and, further, if the enemy's forces should be found pressing their way from Front Royal to Winchester, to fall back to that point, there make a stand, and keep the enemy in check until orders were received from headquarters. To make frequent communication of facts and incidents occurring on our route which should be deemed of any interest to the nearest signal station, whence it would be transmitted to headquarters.

On arriving at Middletown I found a force consisting of one regiment of infantry, a section of artillery, and about one company of cavalry.