of the Fourth Regular Cavalry. Colonel Heg's brigade occupied Lee's Knob, on the Shelbyville pike, about 2 miles east of Colonel Jones, where he has gone into camp for the night. Communication is kept up between both brigades by means of cavalry. Colonel Jones has heard nothing of General Sheridan.

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

R. W. JONES,

Brigadier-General of Volunteers, Commanding.

Major [J. A.] CAMPBELL,

Assistant Adjutant-General, Twentieth Corps.

P. S.-The rebel wounded, some of whom fell into our hands, report a force (Chalmer's brigade) at Rover, 6 miles beyond Middleton.

The communication from General Sheridan has been sent to Colonel Jones, so he knows where General S. is.

Numbers 2. Report of Lieutenant Colonel Fielder A. Jones, Thirty-ninth Indiana Infantry, commanding First Brigade.

HDQRS. 1ST BRIGADE, 2nd DIVISION, 20TH ARMY CORPS,
Camp Still, March 8, 1863.

I have the honor to report operations of First Brigade on the 6th and 7th instant.

My orders from Brigadier-General Johnson, at that time commanding Twentieth Army Corps, were to make a reconnaissance on the old Shelbyville stage road to Middleton, my command serving at the same time to cover the left flank of General Sheridan, who was supposed to be at or near Versailles, while my own left would be covered by a brigade to move forward on Shelbyville pike to Christian. I left camp at 7 a. m. March 6, meeting no resistance until we arrived to within 4 miles form Middleton. Here we found the enemy posted in a strong position, which was carried handsomely by our troops. We drove the enemy through Middleton, an doubt of his camp, 1 1/2 miles beyond the town. He made four different stands, but was quickly dislodged by our men. I never saw finer nor more intrepid skirmishing than was done by the Thirty-second and Thirty-ninth Indiana and Forty-ninth Ohio and about 70 men of the Third Indiana Cavalry. Great credit is due both to officers and men of those commands. The other two regiments of the brigade were held in reserve. The roads were so has as to render our artillery almost useless. We lost 2 men wounded, 1 only severely. The enemy left 7 dead on the field, and 2, mortally wounded, fell into our hands, and were attended by our surgeons. These men reported, and their reports was confirmed by citizens and others, that the force we fought consisted of the First and Second Alabama Cavalry and eighth Confederate Regular Cavalry, numbering in all about 900 men, and under the command of Colonel [J. S.] Prather. They also reported a strong cavalry force at Rover, with one brigade of infantry at or near Unionville.

Learning from General McCook that General Sheridan had moved to Harpeth and Triune, I deemed it prudent to fall back to a strong position just north of Middleton, where we bivouacked for the night. At 2 a. m. of the 7th, I received orders from General McCook to return to camp, where we arrived about 9 a. m. of same date.