the First Kentucky, Colonel Tom Taylor; the Sumter Artillery, Captain Cutts, and Ransom's and Radford's Cavalry.

"Stuart arranged his lines as follows: The Eleventh Virginia and Tenth Alabama Regiments on the right of the Centerville road; the Sixth South Carolina and First Kentucky Regiments on the left; the artillery was advanced in the road between the columns of infantry, and the cavalry regiments covered the flanks. In this order General Stuart moved his command forward until he encountered our troops.

"General Ord immediately ordered the cavalry to the left flank; and selecting a position for the artillery, directed Captain Eastman to open on the enemy's battery. The battery came down the pike in a full gallop, capsized one gun, placed the others quickly in position, and Captain Eastman opened on the enemy with three guns, and shelled the woods, taking aim at the rising smoke, as the enemy's battery could not be seen. The third discharge exploded one of the enemy's caissons, killing a number of men and horses, as was seen after the battle. It was first thought the enemy would attack on each side of the road, but instead, his whole force was on the south side. eral Ord quickly made the necessary change of his troops. Colonel McCalmont was ordered to the support of the battery. Colonel Jackson faced his regiment to the front, and with Kane's Rifles on his left, was formed in the woods on the right, west of the Centerville road, moved up the hill; the men required no urging forward, but were restrained by the officers from rushing upon the enemy in a double-quick charge. Captain Eastman's gunners soon demolished the Confederate battery.

Gen

"The Ninth Regiment came close upon the enemy in the woods, but the undergrowth rendered it difficult to distinguish foe from friend. An officer in the bushes called to Jackson that the troops in his front were the Bucktails; he therefore reserved his fire, until just as Captain Galway was

reporting that they were the enemy, he received a volley from the First Kentucky. The Ninth promptly returned the fire and charged upon them and drove them from the woods. The Bucktails engaged the enemy from both sides of the road, and drove the Confederates back and hotly pursued them, led by Colonel Kane, who was soon shot in the face and fell to the ground, but quickly rose, bound up his wound, and joined his command.

"Meantime the Sixth Regiment moved forward, between the Centerville road and the Alexandria pike, and engaged the Confederate regiments that were advancing to turn the left of Ord's position.

"The Twelfth received the order to advance with cheers to capture the battery, but the enemy hurriedly withdrew his guns beyond the reach of the advancing regiment. General McCall ordered the whole line to advance against the enemy, who was giving way in every part of the field; the retreat soon became a rout, and the enemy fled, leaving his dead and wounded, and a large number of arms with ammunition, and clothing on the field.”

The battle lasted an hour and a half. The casualties on the Union side in this battle, were 6 killed and 61 wounded. The enemy reported Stuart's loss at 43 killed, 143 wounded, and 44 missing.

General Ord detailed several companies of his command to accompany the forage wagons. General McCall, in his report of the victory, says: "Last, but not least, I brought in sixteen wagon loads of excellent hay, and twenty-two of corn."

Colonel John S. McCalmont, who was one of the heroes of Dranesville, gives the following in regard to the battle: You ask me to give you, in brief, my recollections of the engagement between the Union forces under command of General Edward O. C. Ord, and the Confederate forces under command of General J. E. B. Stuart, at Dranesville, Va., on Friday, the 20th of December, 1861.

"Perhaps it would be as well to take a short survey of

the operations of the brigade which General Ord commanded prior to that time, and with which I was connected.

"The regiments composing the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps, were ordered to Washington immediately after the first battle of Bull Run. The Tenth Regiment, which I commanded, encamped for a few days east of the Capitol building, near Lincoln Park. When General McClellan arrived at Washington and assumed the command of the Army of the Potomac, the regiments of the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps were moved to Tennallytown, where they took position; were formed into a division, called McCall's division-after General McCall, who commanded it, and which division was divided into three brigades, commanded, respectively, by Brigadier General John F. Reynolds, Brigadier General George G. Meade, and Colonel John S. McCalmont. The command of the latter was but temporary. I understood from General McCall that he wished a Pennsylvania general to command the Third Brigade, and that he had requested, or intended the appointment for General John G. Parke, then with Burnside's expedition to North Carolina.

"McCall's division remained at Tennallytown, occupied in drilling, picket and grand guard duties, building forts and reconnoissances to Great Falls and other points, until between the 3d and 13th of October, 1861, when the division was ordered to advance and to take position at Langley, Va., where the camp of the division was named in official orders, Camp Pierpont,' in honor of the then Union. Governor of Virginia.

"Previous to the advance of McCall's division, the Army of the Potomac had been held mostly on the defensive; drilling and building the fortifications; the line south of the river, I believe, being scarcely connected, and the right of it resting on Chain Bridge. After the advance in October, McCall's division occupied the right of the line, and the alignment of the whole Army of the Potomac, or