At this point Captain [Geo. D.] Alexander, a meritorious officer of the Third Arkansas, lost his left arm.

Darkness rendered it necessary for Colonel Rust to postpone until morning the full execution of his instructions, and he prudently withdrew to a better position for spending the night.

The next morning (January 5) General Loring was directed to proceed with Colonel Rust's command, and Colonel Gilham's, if necessary, and complete the work that had been instructed to Colonel Rust, if he should find that it had not been already executed. General Loring, having with his artillery driven off the enemy who were defending the bridge, destroyed the structure and railroad buildings, and also the telegraph for some distance, and rejoined me at Hancock.

On the evening of the 4th Lieutenant-Colonel Ashby, who, in command of a detachment composed of some cavalry and an infantry force under Major E. F. Paxton, and a working party under Captain R. T. Colston, had been enlarging the break in Dam Numbers 5, joined me at Bath. From the most reliable information received the force of the enemy at Bath was 1,500 cavalry and infantry, with two pieces of artillery. The next morning I demanded the surrender of Hancock, stating that if the demand was not acceded to the place would be cannonaded. The commanding officer refused to comply with my demand, and I cannonaded the place for a short time, and proceeded to construct a bridge for crossing the Potomac about 2 miles above the town. This work was intrusted to Colonel W. A. Forbes, who commanded and progressed with it in a manner highly creditable to himself and his command. Colonel Forbes was assisted in this work by Captain Briscoe, assistant quartermaster, an enterprising and valuable officer.

On the 6th the enemy was re-enforced to such an extent as to induce me to believe that my object could not be accomplished without a sacrifice of life, which I felt unwilling to make, as Romney, the great object of the expedition, might require for its recovery, and especially for the capture of the troops in and near there, all the force at my disposal.

The invader having been defeated and driven across the Potomac, the telegraph line broken at several points, and the railroad bridge across Big Cacapon destroyed, thus throwing material obstacles in the way not only of transmitting intelligence from Romney to Hancock, but also of receiving re-enforcements from the east, arrangements were made for moving on Romney.

The next day, the 7th, the command was put in motion; Lieutenant-Colonel Ashby, with his cavalry, brought up the rear; but before leaving Alpine Depot, opposite Hancock, destroyed a large amount of public stores that had fallen into our hands and could not be removed for want of means.

Before night a dispatch reached me giving intelligence of our disaster that morning at Hanging Rock, where the enemy not only defeated our militia under Colonel Monroe, but captured two guns.

On arriving at Unger's Store I halted the command for several days, for the purpose of resting the men and ice-calling the horses.

The day that the command left Winchester the weather was mild, but soon after it suddenly changed to very severe, and the snow and sleet made the roads almost impassable for loaded wagons, unless the teams were specially shod for the purpose.

The enemy evacuated Romney on the 10th. The town was soon occupied by Sheetz's and Shand's companies of cavalry, which were subsequently followed by other troops. The Federal forces, abandoning