send fifty men to White Post to see if you can find or hear anything of General Powell, who is ordered to come through Ashby's Gap to his old camp, and should be in certainly by to-morrow a. m. General Powell is now ordered to go to the Opequon on the Winchester and Front Royal pike.

By command of Brevet Major-General Torbert:

WM. RUSSELL, JR.,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS CAVALRY, MIDDLE MILITARY DIVISION,
November 9, 1864.

General MERRITT:

GENERAL: Since sending you the former order, which had been sent the commanding officer of the pickets at Cedarville, General Powell has reported. The 100 men near Middletown have been ordered to join their brigade, and the party at Cedarville have been ordered to march at daylight and join you at Newtown.

Very respectfully, & c.,

WM. RUSSELL, JR.,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS CAVALRY, MIDDLE MILITARY DIVISION,
November 9, 1864 - 9 a. m.

Colonel PENNINGTON:

COLONEL: By direction of the chief of cavalry you will move your brigade at once to occupy the line of the road from Newtown through Fawcett's Gap. Cover the Moorefield and Winchester pike. General Custer will come in between you and Newtown to-morrow. If you can get to this position by keeping off the pike, do so, as the army is moving back on the pike to take position on the line of the Opequon south of Winchester. A brigade of infantry will be at Newtown. There is nothing known about water in the vicinity you are going to. You will have to be governed by circumstances.

Very respectfully, & c.,

WM. RUSSELL, JR.,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS THIRD CAVALRY DIVISION,
November 9, 1864.

Colonel J. L. THOMPSON,

Commanding Second Brigade:

COLONEL: The infantry on our left having withdrawn the brevet major-general commanding directs that you send out an additional picket detail of at least 250 men, to picket from Cupp's Mill down the stream, covering well all the fords and extending its extreme left as far as the pike. You will take proper means to have a complete and well-connecting chain of vedettes from the pike up the creek to Bryerly's house. This detail will start out immediately. There are fifty men from the First Brigade, under charge of Captain Shafer, near the pike and on the heights this side of Strasburg. The general directs that you have communication kept open between your left reserve and