134 



ARMY OPERATIONS. 



the enenfy he could readily have retired to the 

 intrenchinents around Washington and Alex- 

 andria. After destroying the railroad from 

 Cub Run southwardly to the Rappahannock, 

 the enemy retreated on the 18th to the line of 

 that river, leaving their cavalry in front of 

 Gen. Meade. 



During the next day the cavalry of Gen. 

 Meade advanced, before whom Gen. Stuart 

 retired, until an attack was made on their 

 flank, near Buckland, by Gen. Fitz Lee, who 

 had moved from Auburn. A severe action 

 ensued, and the enemy advanced nearly to 

 Haymarket and Gainesville, where the in- 

 fantry were encountered, and the former re- 

 tired. 



When the advance of Gen. Lee from the 

 Rapidan commenced, orders were sent to Gen. 

 Imboden to advance down the Shenandoah val- 

 ley and guard the gaps of the mountains on the 

 Confederate left. Having performed this duty 

 he marched on the 18th upon Charlestown, 

 and, surrounding the place, captured nearly 

 all of the fo,rce stationed there, with their 

 stores and transportation. Upon an advance 

 of the force at Harper's Ferry, Gen. Imboden 

 retired with his booty. 



Gen. Halleck states the loss in the cavalry 

 corps during these operations to have been 74 

 by casualties and 885 missing. Gen. Lee states 

 that in the course of these operations 2,436 

 prisoners were captured, of which 436 were 

 taken by Gen. Imboden. The loss of the en- 

 emy is not stated. 



On the 7th of November Gens. Sedgwick 

 and French attacked the enemy at Rappahan- 

 nock Station and Kelly's Ford, and captured 

 several redoubts, four guns, eight battle flags, 

 and about two thousand prisoners. The Fed- 

 eral loss in killed and wounded was three hun- 

 dred and seventy. 



About the 20th of November an advance was 

 made by Gen. Meade from the position held 

 at that time, under the impression that Gen. 

 Lee was either retreating south from the Rapi- 

 dan, or was preparing for a movement in some 

 other quarter. The intention was to ascertain 

 the position of Gen. Lee's forces, and to bring 

 on a contest with them. Upon this advance 

 the enemy fell back and took up a strong posi- 

 tion behind Mine Run, southwest of Chancel- 

 lorsville. The strength of the position, and 

 the risks attending an assault, were such that 

 the army of Gen. Meade withdrew from the 

 front of the enemy, and resumed its previous 

 camps around Brandy Station, on the Orange 

 and Alexandria railroad. 



In West Virginia the force was too small 

 during the year to attempt any important cam- 

 paign by itself; but it acted mainly on the de- 

 fensive, in repelling raids of tho enemy and 

 breaking up bands of guerillas. 



When Gen. Lee's army retreated across the 

 Potomac in Jnly last, Brig. -Gen. Kelly concen- 

 trated all his available force on the enemy's 

 flank, near Clear Springs, ready to cooperate 



in the proposed attack by Gen. Meade. They 

 also rendered valuable services in the pursuit 

 after Gen. Lee had effected his passage of the 

 river. 



On the 24th of July Col. Toland attacked the 

 enemy at Wytheville, on the East Tennessee and 

 Virginia railroad, capturing two pieces of artil- 

 lery, 700 muskets, and 125 prisoners. Our loss 

 was 17 killed and 61 wounded. The enemy's 

 killed and wounded were reported to be 75. 



In August Gen. Averill attacked a force of 

 the enemy under Gen. Sam. Jones, at Rocky 

 Gap, in Greenbrier county, capturing one gun, 

 150 prisoners, and killing and wounding some 

 200. The Federal loss in killed, wounded, and 

 missing, was 130. 



On the llth of September Gen. Imboden at- 

 tacked a small force of Federal troops at Moore- 

 field, wounding 15 and capturing about 150. 



On the 5th of November Gen. Averill at- 

 tacked and defeated the enemy near Lewis- 

 burg, capturing three pieces of artillery, 100 

 prisoners, and a large number of small arms, 

 wagons, and camp equipage. The enemy's 

 loss in killed and wounded was estimated at 

 300. 



In December, Gen. Averill, with the 2d, 3d, 

 and 8th Virginia mounted infantry, 14th Penn- 

 sylvania, Dobson's battalion of cavalry, and 

 Ewing's battery, advanced into Southwestern 

 Virginia, and, on the 16th, destroyed the Vir- 

 ginia and Tennessee railroad at Salem. At 

 the same place three depots were destroyed, 

 containing 2,000 barrels of flour, 10,000 bush- 

 els of wheat, 100,000 bushels of shelled corn, 

 50,000 bushels of oats, 2,000 barrels of meat, 

 several cords of leather, 1,000 sacks of salt, 31 

 boxes of clothing, 20 bales of cotton, a large 

 amount of harness, shoes, and saddles, equip- 

 ments, tools, oil, tar, and various other stores, 

 and 100 wagons. The telegraph wire was cut, 

 coiled, and burned for a half mile. The water 

 station, turn-table, and three cars were burned, 

 the track torn up, and the rails heated and de- 

 stroyed as much as possible, in six hours. Five 

 bridges and several culverts were destroyed 

 over an extent of fifteen miles. A large quan- 

 tity of bridge timber and repairing materials 

 were also destroyed. On returning, Gen. Av- 

 erill found six separate commands under Gens. 

 Early, Jones, Fitz Lee, Imboden, Jackson, and 

 Echols, arranged in a line extending from 

 Staunton to Newport, on all tho available 

 roads, to intercept him. Having captured a 

 despatch of the enemy, by which their posi- 

 tions were made known, Gen. Averill marched 

 from the front of Jones to that of Jackson dur- 

 ing the night, crossed the river and pressed in 

 the latter's outposts, and passed him. In the 

 meantime, forces were concentrating upon Gen. 

 Averill at a place called Calaghan's, over every 

 available road but one, which was deemed im- 

 practicable. Over this one he crossed the top 

 of the Alleghanies with his command, and ar- 

 rived at Beverly on the 21st, with a loss of six 

 drowned, four wounded, and ninety missing, 



