an advance upon
the road where we were stationed, but the enemy moved down the railroad
toward Glade Springs and by the main road in the same direction. After
having ascertained their route, we moved rapidly to Saltville, reaching
that place before 10 A.M. General Breckinridge had already concentrated
there all of the reserves that could be collected, and Giltner's and
Cosby's brigades, which had just returned from the valley. Vaughan had
retreated, when he found himself cut off, toward the North Carolina line
and was virtually out of the fight from that time. Our force for the
defense of Saltville was not more than fifteen hundred men, for
offensive operations not eight hundred.

The enemy made no demonstration against Saltville on that day, and at
nightfall General Breckinridge instructed me to move with one hundred
and fifty men of my brigade, through McCall's Gap, and passing to the
right of Glade's Springs, where the enemy was supposed to be, enter the
main stage road and move toward Wytheville. He had received information
that three or four hundred of the enemy had gone in that direction and
he wished me to follow and attack.

Moving as directed, I found the enemy, not at Glade Springs, as was
expected, but at the point at which I wished to enter the main road.
Driving in the pickets, I advanced my whole force to within a short
distance of the road, and discovered convincing proof that the entire
Federal force was there. I did not attack, but withdrew to a point about
a mile distant, and, permitting the men to build fires, and posting
pickets to watch the enemy at the cross-roads, awaited daylight. My
guide had run away when the pickets fired on us, and I could only watch
the movements of the enemy and let mine be dictated by circumstances.

Just at daylight, a force of ten or twelve hundred of the enemy appeared
in our rear, and between us and Saltville. This force had passed through
Glade Springs and far around to the rear. Fortunately the men were lying
down in line and by their horses, which had not been unsaddled. They
were at once formed, and sending to call in the pickets, I moved my line
slowly toward the enemy, who halted. The noise of the pickets galloping
up the road perhaps convinced them that reinforcements were arriving to
us. Not caring to fight when directly between two superior bodies of the
enemy, and but a short distance from either, I wheeled into column, as
soon as the picket detail arrived,