General Jones into West Virginia, by order from your headquarters, I sent portions of them into that State. During my occupancy of Winchester, I almost continually kept out heavy cavalry scouts on the Front Royal roads as far as Front Royal, and on the Strasburg road as far as St rasburg. My cavalry frequently drove the enemy's pickets as far up the Valley as Woodstock, and I held almost undisputed possession of the Valley as far as Strasburg until about June 1. By means of these cavalry expeditions, and information furnished me by Union citizens, I kept myself continually posted as to the rebel forces in the Valley under Jones and Embolden, and was at no time deceived as to their numbers of movements. About June 1 the enemy became bolder, and small detachments of his cavalry were met as far down the Valley as Middletown. On Friday, June 12, for the purpose of ascertaining whether there had been any accumulation of rebel forces in my front, I sent out two strong reconnoitering parties, one on the Strasburgh and the other on the Front Royal road. The one of the Strasburg road consisted of Eighty-seventh Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, Thirteenth Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry, and one section of Battery L, Fifth U. S. Artillery, under command of Colonel Schall, of the Eighty-seventh Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. This reconnaissance was conducted with energy, in pursuance of instructions, and its results were in every way satisfactory. The expedition proceeded up the Valley, the cavalry in advance, but within supporting distance of the infantry and artillery, until it had arrived within 2 miles of Middletown, at which place a messenger from Major Kerwin, who was in command of the cavalry, announced to Colonel Schall that a superior force of cavalry of the enemy had been discovered in line of battle immediately north of Middletown. The infantry and artillery were immediately concealed, the former in a dense grove to the right of the road and within 100 yards of the same, and the latter behind a ridge . Our cavalry retired, skirmishing with that of the enemy until he was drawn within reach of the fire of the infantry. Upon the first fire of our infantry the enemy retreated precipitately, followed by our cavalry, which pursued beyond Middletown. In this affair the enemy lost 50 (as has since been ascertained) in killed and wounded, and we took 37 prisoners. Colonel Schall remained on the ground for an hour, during which time his cavalry scoured the country in every direction, but could detect no traces of an accumulation of rebel forces. The prisoners taken all belonged to the maryland Battalion and Fourteenth Virginia Cavalry, troops which had been in the Valley and on picket duty during the whole period of mu occupancy of Winchester . Besides, separate examinations of the prisoners disclosed that there was no accumulation of forces there. Colonel Schall made hid report to me about 7 o'clock in the evening, and it relieved me from all apprehensions of an attack from the Strasburg road . It is now known that no portion of Lee's army approached Winchester from that direction. The reconnaissance on the Front Royal road was abortive . The expedition consisted of the Twelfth Pennsylvania Cavalry, about 400 strong, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Moss. It returned to Winchester about 3 o'clock in the afternoon on Friday . Its commanding officer reported that Cedarville, a place about 12 miles from Winchester, he had encountered a large force of enemy,