HEADQUARTERS CAVALRY BRIGADE,
Near Fort Buffalo, Va., September 21, 1864.

Lieutenant Colonel J. H. TAYLOR,

Chief of Staff and Assistant Adjutant-General:

COLONEL: I have the honor to request that you will suspend action on the report sent you last evening by Colonel Gansevoort, as the information was not entirely correct. I arrived at Annandale this morning with 150 men. This will make our total loss about 30 men. I will send a full report soon.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

H. M. LAZELLE,

Colonel Sixteenth New York, Vol. Cavalry, Comdg. Cavalry Brigade.

HEADQUARTERS CAVALRY BRIGADE,
Near Falls Church, Va., September 21, 1864.

Lieutenant Colonel J. H. TAYLOR,

Chief of Staff, Twenty-second Army Corps, Dept. of Washington:

COLONEL: I have the honor to report that i returned from a scout to the Rapidan Station this morning. The strength of party taken out was 325 men, all but fifty from the Sixteenth New York Cavalry, fifty from the Thirteenth New York Cavalry. Going by way of Kelly's Ford, Raccoon ford, I arrived at the south side of the Rapidan opposite the station before the dawn of the third day's march. At daylight crossed and captured 200 horses and mules, together with 20 men and 2 officers, a portion of a company of seventy men engaged in guarding Confederate stock sent there to recruit by grazing. We destroyed, by fire and cutting away the supports the railroad bridge over the Rapidan, a structure 200 feet long and 40 feet high on trestle-work, burned the railroad station house, telegraph office, three cars, and a very large flour mill, running six sets o stones. In the building were 300 barrels of flour and a large quantity of corn and wheat. We pulled down the telegraph and destroyed a part of the railroad track. As I wished to destroy the train of cars, which was above me toward Culpeper, I then moved up the railroad, burning the station hours at Mitchell's Station. though we had light skirmishing with the enemy from the commencement of our work, all the information received led me to believe that there was no considerable force to be encountered. On arriving opposite the junction of the Culpeper and Stevensburg roads, however, I found them commanded by hills, on which was a simple line of entrenchments with rifle-pits in front. These contained about 200 men and four pieces of artillery. On their left and obstructing the Stevensburg road were about 100 cavalry, and 300 infantry, having in their rear forest cover. I immediately moved to the base of a long, high hill on the opposite side, with forest above it, intending to avoid the artillery and infantry, at the same time throwing out a line of skirmishers.

This movement was followed by the enemy and the firing soon became general. It was order to move by a flank, and in the attempt many of the men rushed from their places in advance of their officers, and instead of remaining with their companies, fled past the column in great disorder and joined he extreme advance. The officer and officers in charge of the advance-guard, consisting of 50 men, thus joined by more than 100 flying fugitives of both officers and men, instead of halt-