Campbell briskly attacked the enemy, who, being heavily re-enforced, compelled him to retreat. On the retreat one gun of Lilly's (Eighteenth Indiana) battery was spiked and abandoned on account of an axle breaking. In this affair our loss was 7 killed, 47 wounded, and 7 missing. We captured 30 prisoners, besides killing Major Bale, of the Sixth Georgia Cavalry, and killing and wounding over 100 of the enemy.

December 25,26,27, and 28, almost constant skirmishing with Martin's cavalry, during which we advanced to Talbott's Station, within 9 miles of Morristown. In these affairs the loss was slight on both sides.

December 29, General Sturgis again detached La Grange's Second Brigade with his own cavalry to Dandridge, having ordered the remaining brigade (Campbell's) to cover the front and fall back, without much resistance, if attacked, to Mossy Creek. At about 10 a.m. Martin, with Armstrong's and Morgan's divisions, about 5,000 strong, advanced in overwhelming force. The First Brigade fell back, as ordered, to Mossy Creek, and there held the enemy at bay till 3 p.m., when he commenced falling back. We then advanced, and La Grange's brigade, arriving from Dandridge, struck the enemy on the flank and signally routed them, driving them beyond Talbott's Station and pushing the pursuit until after dark. The casualties in this affair were 4 commissioned officers wounded, 12 enlisted men killed, and 36 men wounded severely. The enemy being much more exposed in his attacks doubtless lost more.

A small battalion, composed of detachments of the Fifteenth Pennsylvania and Tenth Ohio Cavalry, from the Department of the Cumberland, under command of Colonel William J. Palmer, Fifteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry, were under the orders of General Elliott, and participated in the engagement, as did Mott's brigade of the Twenty-third Army Corps. The cavalry of the Army of the Ohio took no part in the battle.

The line from Talbott's Station was held after the Mossy Creek battle through the rest of the month. The Third Brigade, Colonel L. D. Watkins commanding, was detached from the division during the month, and, after Bragg's defeat at Missionary Ridge, marched from Caperton's Ferry, Ala., to Rossville, Ga., where it remained in camp at the close of the month.

No. 55.

Reports of Colonel William J. Palmer, Fifteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry.

HEADQUARTERS ANDERSON CAVALRY,
Trotter's Bridge, December 11, 1863.

GENERAL: I have the honor to report that on yesterday morning a little after daybreak I reached Gatlinburg, 15 miles from Sevierville, on the Smoky Mountain road, with 150 men, having approached from a point on the same road 3 miles in the rear of Gatlinburg, which point I reached by a circuitous and almost impassable trail from Wear's Cove.

AT the same time Lieutenant Colonel C. B. Lamborn, with about 50 men, reached Gatlinburg from the north by the Sevierville road, which he intersected at Trotter's Bridge, 7 miles north of Gatlinburg, by a road leading from Wear's Cove, where our forces divided.