from their boats; and all accounts from Cairo, and from persons who were with the boats during our fire, represent the fire on the enemy huddled on the transports was more destructive than that of any part of the battle. A captain of one of the transports of the enemy's expedition represents the loss to be 1,800 or 2,000 men. With these sources of information, and all the light these afford, I think the enemy's loss could not be less than 2,000 men.

GID. J. PILLOW,

Brigadier-General, C. S. Army.

E. D. BLAKE, Captain, C. S. Army, Act. Asst. Adjt. General

COLUMBUS, November 12, 1861.

Major MACKALL, Assistant Adjutant-General:

I am prepared to put my division in motion. My loss in the battle of Belmont from my division was 530 men, this bringing my effective force to about 2,700; no other force has been ordered to move with me. I will start the advance this evening or in morning. General Polk is pretty well recovered from the shock.

GID J. PILLOW,

Brigadier-General, C. S. Army.

Numbers 16. Report of Colonel J. Knox Walker, Second Tennessee Infantry, comdg. First Brigade, First Division, transmitting Lieutenant W. J. Hunt's statement.

HEADQUARTERS FIRST BRIGADE, FIRST DIVISION,
December 2, 1861.

GENERAL: I transmit herewith, as supplemental to my report* of the engagement at Belmont, on the 7th ultimo, an account of the recapture of one of the guns of Beltzhoover's battery, made by Lieutenant W. J. Hunt, of Company B, Second Regiment.

I should have mentioned it in my report to you of the incidents of that day, but the fact was not then known to me.

Lieutenant Hunt was at the time of the capture painfully wounded by a spent grape shot, and behaved with great gallantry during the day.

Respectfully,

J. KNOX WALKER,

Colonel, Commanding First Brigade, First Division.

Brigadier General GIDEON J. PILLOW, Commanding, &c.

[Inclosure.]

DEAR SIR: I learn to-day from Major Strockey, that you regretted not knowing that it was myself who captured our battery, the Jeff. Davis, on the day of the battle, that you might have referred to it in your official report. The facts connected with the capture are these: After passing through the corn field our men became scattered in every direction. I, commanding a squad of 10 or 15 men, saw the enemy passing

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*Not found.

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