licy of the South was changed; that they would abandon Richmond,
Virginia, everything South, and invade Maryland and Washington; that
every Union soldier would be driven out of the Valley immediately.
This was on Friday evening, the night of attack on Front Royal.
Names are given me, and the party talking one who might know the
rebel plans. A prisoner was captured near Martinsburg to-day. He
told the truth I am satisfied, as far as he pretended to know. He
was in the fight at Front Royal and passed through Winchester two
hours after our engagement. He says the rebel force was very
large--not less than twenty-five thousand at Winchester and 6000 or
7000 at Front Royal; that the idea was general among the men that
they were to invade Maryland. He passed Ashby yesterday, who had
twenty-eight companies of cavalry under his command; was returning
from Martinsburg, and moving under orders, his men said, to
Berryville. There were 2000 rebels at Martinsburg when he passed
that town yesterday. These reports came to me at the same time I
received General Saxton's dispatch and the statement from my own
officer that 4000 rebels were near Falling Waters, in my front.

N. P. BANKS,
_Major-General Commanding._

HON. E. M. STANTON.

Friday evening the thirtieth was as dark as Erebus. Clouds had been
boiling up since dark. Huge portentous masses rose on all sides and
blotted out the skies. The air was for a time oppressively hot and
still. The smoke from the guns which had wrangled during the day, long
and loud, hung low; the smell of powder clung. The grey troops massed on
Loudoun Heights and along the Shenandoah wiped the sweat from their
brows. Against the piled clouds signal-lights burned dull and red, stars
of war communicating through the sultry night. The clouds rose higher
yet and the lightnings began to play. A stir began in the leaves of the
far-flung forests, blended with the murmur of the rivers and became
rushing sound. Thunder burst, clap after clap, reverberating through the
mountains. The air began to smell of rain, grew suddenly cool. Through
the welcome freshness the grey troops advanced beyond Bolivar Heights;
there followed a long crackle of musketry and a body of blue troops
retreated across the river. The guns opened again; the grey cannon
trained upon the