[
290]
John M. Jones's Virginia Brigade,
Brigadier-General John M. Jones;
Nicholls's Louisiana Brigade,
Colonel J. M. Williams,
commanding General Nicholls absent, wounded).
Lieutenant-Colonel Hilary P. Jones's battalion of artillery was attached to
General Early's division.
Lieutenant-Colonel Thos. H. Carter's battalion of artillery was attached to
General Rodes's division.
Lieutenant-Colonel R. Snowden Andrews's batallion of artillery was attached to
General Johnson's division.
Lieutenant-Colonel Nelson's battalion of artillery and four batteries of the First Virginia artillery, all under
Colonel Thompson Brown, formed the artillery reserve of the corps.
Marching
via Verdiersville and Somerville Ford, the corps reached
Culpeper on the 7th.
On the 9th, the enemy being reported to have crossed the
Rappahannock in force, I moved my corps, by direction of the
General commanding, to
General Stuart's support, but on reaching
Brandy Station with
General Rodes's division, found the enemy already retiring.
Resuming the march on the 10th, we passed by Gaines's Cross Roads,
Flint Hill and
Front Royal, arriving at
Cedarville on the 12th.
At that point I detached
General Rodes's division, together with
General Jenkins's cavalry brigade, which had reported to me, to capture if possible a force of eighteen hundred men under
Colonel McReynolds reported at
Berryville, and thence to press on to
Martinsburg.
With the remaining two divisions and the 16th Virginia cavalry battalion,
Major Newman, of
Jenkins's brigade, I proceeded to attack
Winchester.
From all the information I could gather, the fortifications of
Winchester were only assailable on the west and north-west, from a range of hills which commanded the ridge occupied by their main fortification.
The force there was represented at from 6,000 to 8,000 under
General Milroy.
On the 13th I sent
Early's division and
Colonel Brown's artillery battalion (under
Captain Dance) to
Newtown on the
Valley pike, where they were joined by the
Maryland battalion of infantry,
Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert, and the
Baltimore Light Artillery,
Captain Griffin.
General Early was directed to advance towards the town by the
Valley pike.
The same day
Johnson's division, preceded by
Newman's cavalry, drove in the enemy's pickets on the
Front Royal and
Winchester road, and formed line of battle two miles from town preparatory to an attack.
After some skirmishing, the enemy opened from a battery near the
Milwood road, and
Carpenter's battery (
Lieutenant 
