Horse-pen fight, and that two rebel bushwhacker companies are still there.

The loss of my regiment consists in 2 killed and 1 officer and 5 privates taken. The other I have rallied again.

E. SIBER,

Colonel.

Captain G. M. BASCOM.

HDQRS. THIRTY-SEVENTH Regiment OHIO VOL. INFANTRY,
Raleigh, August 12, 1862.

CAPTAIN: According to the received orders, I sent, August 2, early in the morning, a scouting party, consisting of two companies (H and I), about 100 men, under command of Captain Messner, to Wyoming, and one company (G), under Captain Schoening, to Coal River marshes, for the purpose of serving to this scouting party as a reserve and of clearing the mountain passes of Guyandotte Mountains from bushwhackers. Captain Shoening arrived the same day at his post (Trump's farm), 14 miles from Raleigh. Captain Messner reached Wyoming (35 miles) the next day, without any impediment. A party of four orderlies of the Second Virginia Cavalry, who had been sent after Captain Messner, were fired near the mountain passes, and one of their horses was wounded. They fell back upon Captain Schoening, who thereupon cleared that country which had so long time been infested by a few bushwhackers.

Captain Messner was apparently well received by the citizens of Wyoming Court-House, and being informed that about 15 miles from Wyoming, on the Tazawell road, Floyd's scouts were driving away cattle and gathering wheat from Union men, he sent also a scouting party, consisting of 16 men, under Lieutenant G. Wintzer, accompanied by Mr. W. Walker (a member of the Wheeling convention) and two other armed Union men to McDowell's farm, 4 miles distant from Wyoming Court-House to burn also the wheat stacked there, and belonging to an inveterate and fugitive secesh.

Lieutenant Wintzer left the Court-House August 5, at 8 o'clock in the morning, and reached the above-named farm, where he suddenly was surprised by the advanced guard of Captains Straton's and Witcher's mounted rebel companies (140 men strong). After a short combat, Private Benton, of Company I, killed, Lieutenant Wintzer and 7 privates taken prisoners; the remainder scattered in the mountains.

The news of this disaster was brought to Wyoming by a young Union man by named of Cook; whereupon Captain Messner marched immediately with both companies to the relief, reaching Isaac Cook's farm (1 1/2 miles from town), when he saw at a distance of about three-quarters of a mile the cavalry advancing, and concluded to fall slowly back upon the Court-House. In this movement he was not molested by the cavalry, and succeeded in reaching the barricade on The Narrows, which had [been] occupied in the meanwhile by Lieutenant Krumm with one platoon. Ten minutes later he saw the enemy advancing, dismounted, along the brow of the mountains to intercept his retreat to Clear Fork; whereupon he fell back to the mouth of Laurel Fork.

In this combat Private Loewer, Company I, was killed, but no other harm done by the fire of the enemy, which was answered by our own and soon ceased.