petent guides. My information is that the enemy has moved his camp down to the foot of the mountain in consequence of the scarcity of water. One of my scouts returned from Logan las night reports one regiment of 400 at Chapmanville, 5 miles below the Court-House. I have sent two spies into raleigh, neither of whom has returned.

Some days ago I sent three companies of mounted men down the Clinch and Holston into Tennessee, under command of Captain Witcher.

I have a dispatch from him of the 9th. He had a fight with a company of Yankee cavalry on the 7th instant within 8 miles of Cumberland Gap, Killed 16 of them and captured their colors, which he sent to me by the courier. Our loss none.

The enemy has three brigades in the neighborhood of Cumberland Gap, to wit: Garfield's brigade Ohioans on Copper Creek between the Gap, and Cumberland Ford; Garrard's Kentucky in the Gap, and Spear's Tennesseeans between the Gap and the ford of Clinch. With this force there is 500 cavalry. The entire force is about 8,000.

My effective force is very much reduced by measles and mumps among the new troops and by the large scouting paries sent agreeably to your instructions toward Tennessee and Kentucky. I will keep a sharp lookout and let no opportunity escape of hitting the enemy a blow.

Yours, respectfully,

JOHN S. WILLIAMS,

Brigadier-General, &c.

Major General W. W. LORING, Commanding, &c.

P. S.- Since writing the above a courier has arrived from Buchanan, who reports 150 Yankess from Logan to be in that county plundering the people.

JULY 12-16, 1862. Expedition from Decatur, Ala., and skirmish (12th)

near Davis' Gap.

REPORTS.

Numbers 1. - Colonel Abel D. Streight, Fifty-first Indiana Infantry.

Numbers 2. - Captain Stephen C. Writer, First Ohio Cavalry.

Numbers 1.

Report of Colonel Abel D. Streight, Fifty-first Indiana Infantry.

HEADQUARTERS FIFTY- FIRST INDIANA VOLUNTEERS,
Camp near Mooresville, Ala., July 16, 1862.

SIR: While in command at Decatur there were several small parties of loyal Alabamians who came into our lines begging me to give them protection and a chance to defend the flag of our country. The late of suffering and misery as told by each as they arrived was in itself a lamentable history of the deplorable condition of the Union people of the South. Notwithstanding the oft-repeated assertion that there was a strong Union sentiment in portions of the cotton States, I had long since given up all hopes of finding the people entertaining it; hence I was at first incredulous as to what they said and even suspicious that

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