OCTOBER 3, 1861.---Engagement at Greenbrier River, West Virginia.
No.1.-- Report of Brig. Gen. Joseph J. Reynolds, U.S. Army, commanding First Brigade.
HEADQUARTERS FIRST BRIGADE, A. O. W VA.,
Elk Waler, October 4, 1861.
SIR: On the night of the 2d October, at 12 o'clock, I started from the summit of Cheat Mountain to make an armed reconnaissance of the enemy's position on the Greenbrier River, 12 miles in advance. Our force consisted of Howe's battery, Fourth regular artillery; Loomis' battery, Michigan volunteer artillery; part of Daum's battery, Virginia volunteer artillery; Twenty-fourth, Twenty-fifth, and Thirty-second Ohio Regiments; Seventh, Ninth, Thirteenth, Fourteenth, Fifteenth, and Seventeenth Indiana Regiments (the last four being reduced by continuous hard service and sickness to about half regiments); parts of Robinson's company of Ohio, Greenfield's Pennsylvania, and Bracken's Indiana cavalry; in all about 5,000. Milroy's Ninth Indiana drove in the enemy's advanced pickets and deployed to our right, driving the enemy on that flank into his entrenchments. Kimball's Fourteenth Indiana was advanced directly to the enemy's front and right, to drive his advanced regiment from a position suitable for our artillery. This was soon done in gallant style, and our batteries promptly took their positions within about 700 yards of the entrenchments and opened fire. Some of the enemy's guns were visible and others concealed. We disabled three of his guns, made a thorough reconnaissance, and after having fully and successfully accomplished the object of the expedition retired leisurely and in good order to Cheat Mountain, arriving at sundown, having marched 24 miles and been under the enemy's fire four hours. The enemy's force was about 9,000, and we distinctly saw heavy re-enforcements of infantry and artillery arrive while we were in front of the works. We took 13 prisoners. The number of killed and wounded could not be accurately ascertained, but from those actually counted in the field and estimated in the trenches, which could be seen from the heights, it is believed the number reached at least 300. Our loss was surprisingly small---8 killed and 32 wounded--most of them slightly, the proximity of our batteries to the entrenchments causing many shots to pass over us.(*)
Very respectfully, &c.,
J. J. REYNOLDS,
Brigadier-General, Commanding.
L.THOMAS,
Adjutant-General of the Army,Washington,D.C.