Ón Ir ‘S. Meredith, September 12, 1861

SIR:

In pursuance of your order, received this morning, I herewith submit a report of the part taken by my command in the reconnoitering expedition of the 11th: Five companies of my command, viz, Company A, Captain May; Company D, Captain Jacobs; Company F, Captain Lindley; Company H, Captain Kelly, and Company I, Lieutenant Baird, formed a part of the expedition which left this place at 7.30 a. m. Nothing special occurred to my command till we reached Lewinsville, 5 miles from camp. One company (Captain Kelly’s) was then left in reserve, while three companies under my immediate charge were sent on the road running north towards the Leadingsburg [Leesburg] turnpike to support a section L3 of Griffin’s battery. I here threw out two parties of skirmishers—one a half mile west, one a half mile north—and placed the remainder under – cover. Lieutenant-Colonel Cameron was ordered to take Company I down the road leading to Falls Church, with instructions to deploy them as skirmishers in a piece of pine wood commanding the road on the right. When the survey was finished and the recall sounded I called in the skirmishers first detached and moved them with the piece we were protecting down to the eross-roads. When we halted temporarily, Lieutenant-Colonel Cameron, discovering that Company I did not return when recalled, sent à mounted sergeant after them, and as he did not return for some time, Lieutenant-Colonel Cameron followed himself and met them coming out of the woods. At this juncture a heavy body of infantry opened fire upon them. I may here mention that their delay was thus occasioned: Lieutenant Hancock and four men had left the line of skirmishers, and advanced nearly a half mile to get a shot at two larger bodies of infantry who were discovered deploying down the side of a large hill covered with tim- . ber. After a sharp firing, by which a number of the enemy were killed, one of the party, Private Hiram Antibus, though hotly pursued and continually fired on for a long distance, escaped with loss of shoes and – eartridge-box, but bringing off his gun, while Lieutenant Hancock, Sergt. S. M. Goodwin, and Private Oliver Hubbeli were shot down, being either killed or seriously wounded, nor have they since been heard of. – Having formed my command in line, while waiting orders we suffered from a heavy fire proceeding from a strip of timber and adjoining corn field, killing Private W. H. H. Wood, of Company D, by a shot through the head, and seriously, if not mortally, wounding Private Asbury Inlow, of the same company, by a ball through the left cheek, which passed out behind the ear. In resting I was ordered to cover the rear and protect a portion of Griffin’s battery, Lieutenant McLean, with a company of dragoons, following me. ‘Thus we proceeded for half a mile towards camp under a terrific shower of shell, causing to my own command, however, no casualty, while other regiments were less fortunate. The position of the enemy’s guns being ascertained, our guns were placed in battery, and we with the rest of the infantry were formed in line, my command still covering the rear. Here a spent ball from an enemy concealed in the woods wounded in the foot Private John Hamilton, of Company D. After a considerable interval, our batteries having silenced those of the enemy and recalled his cavalry, we quietly returned to camp, still covering the rear, till we met re-enforcements. * My men were under fire about two hours, and during the whole of that time behaved with the utmost coolness and gallantry, obeying all orders promptly and with but little confusion, their chief anxiety seeming to be that the enemy’s infantry might advance from their cover or that they might have a chance to try their hand on Stuarts cavalry. Though discrimination seems almost invidious when all behaved well, yet I cannot close my report without adverting to the conduct of Lieutenant-Colonel Cameron, whose courage and coolness were conspicuous throughout the whole of this affair. While shells were bursting around us he rode the lines, giving orders with an equanimity which was not even disturbed when one of them passed so close that his horse, sinking under him, with difficulty recovered the shock. Very respectfull our obedient servant

ÓN ir 'S. MEREDITH,