rebel cavalry crossed Fishing Creek and reconnoitered the Federal
camps. They were fired on by Wolford's cavalry, which then fell
back; and after a brisk skirmish with the Thirty-fifth Ohio they
were driven back with a loss of two or three men on each side.

General Buell had ordered Thomas to keep his immediate command
at Columbia, and had directed him not to send any more troops to
Schoepff at Somerset, considering that the latter had sufficient
force to drive the rebels across the Cumberland. Thomas was directed
to hold himself in readiness to make an immediate movement, when
ordered, from Columbia on the rebel General Hindman, who with some
seven thousand troops was operating in that vicinity, throwing
out his cavalry far in advance of his main column, and feeling
the position of the Federal forces. Hindman had been ordered by
General Johnston to make a diversion in favor of Zollicoffer; and
when Thomas from Columbia checked Hindman's advance, the latter
reported that the force under Thomas had not been weakened to
reinforce Schoepff, or to strengthen the main command at Bowling
Green, and that Zollicoffer was in no immediate danger.

Schoepff with his entire command on the 18th made a reconnoissance
to determine the location and purposes of the rebel force. Pushing
his command forward he drove their cavalry pickets in and found that
Zollicoffer had been intrenching his camp, his line of fortifications
extending from the river to Fishing Creek and his camp being in the
angle formed by the junction of this stream with the Cumberland.
Having accomplished this, and not intending to bring on an engagement,
Schoepff returned with his command to their encampment north of
Somerset.