The enemy soon made ushc encroachments on our left that I deemed it requisite to leave Middleburg out of my line of battle, keeping pickets, however, close to the enemy. Slight skirmishing continued. A general engagement of cavalry was not sought by me, because I preferred waiting for the arrival of the cavalry still in rear (Jones' and Hampton's brigades), and I confined my attention to procuring, through scouts and reconnoitring parties, information of the enemy's movements. In one of these, Major Mosby, with his usual daring, penetrated the enemy's lines and caught a staff officer of General Hooker, bearer of dispatches to General Pleasanton, commanding United States cavalry near Aldie. These dispatches disclosed the fact that Hooker was looking to Aldie with solicitude, and that General Pleasanton, with infantry and cavalry, occupied the place, and that a reconnoissance in force of cavalry was meditated towards Warrenton and Culpeper. I immediately dispatched to General Hampton, who was coming by way of Warrenton from the direction of Beverly's ford, this intelligence, and directed him to meet this advance at Warrenton. The captured dispatches also gave the entire number of divisions, from which we could estimate the approximate strength of the enemy's army. I therefore concluded in no event to attack with cavalry alone the enemy at Aldie. As long as he kept within supporting distance of his infantry, at that point my operations became necessarily defensive, but masking thereby the movement of our main body of checking the enemy's reconnoissance and by continually threatening attack. Hampton met the enemy's advance towards Culpeper at Warrenton, and drove him back without difficulty, a heavy storm and night intervening to aid the enemy's retreat. On the 19th the enemy showed signs of an advance, and our pickets beyond Middleburg were driven back upon the main body, composed of Robertson's and W. H. F. Lee's brigades, posted far enough west of the place not to bring it under fire. The enemy with a large force of cavalry advanced, attacking with dismounted men deployed as infantry. This attack was met in the most determined manner by these two brigades, which rough roads had already decimated for want of adequate shoeing facilities - Chambliss commanding Lee's brigade upon the left, and Robertson's on the right. Brigadier-General Fitz. Lee's brigade, in the meantime, was occupied with the enemy on the Snickersville turnpike opposite us. The enemy finally gained possession of a woodland in front of our line of battle, and while our brave men met and repelled every attempt to advance from it yet our charges invariably brought us under a severe carbine fire from these woods, as well as a fire from the artillery beyond.
Apprechating this difficulty, I withdrew my command to a more commanding position, a half mile to the rear, where we possessed every advantage and could more readily debouched for attack. In withdrawing, while riding at my side, the brave and heroic Major Von Brocke received a very severe and it was thought fatal wound in the neck, from one of the enemy's sharpshooters, who from a stone fence a few hundred yards off poured a tempest of bullets over us. I will not pause here to record the praise due this distinguished Prussian.
The enemy did not attack our new position on the 19th.Jones' brigade came up on the evening of the 19th, and was ordered to the left near Union - General Fitz. Lee's brigade being farther to the left, looking out for Snicker's gap and the Snickersville pike. Hampton's brigade arrived on the 20th - too late to attack the enemy still in possession of Middleburg