been destroyed. I bivouacked 1 mile north of Booneville at 1.30 o'clock a.m., and entered that town at 5 o'clock on the morning of the 2nd of June, where, I remained that day, sending out from thence my cavalry in every direction toward the retreating enemy. In this service Lieutenants Dykeman, Reese, and Ives particularly distinguished themselves in obtaining accurate and extensive knowledge of the adjacent country.

Lieutenant-Colonel Smith, who had joined me at Rienzi with the First Ohio, and Colonel Ingersoll, with one battalion of the Eleventh Illinois, rendered most valuable assistance in reconnoitering.

On arriving at Booneville I ascertained that the enemy had marched from that point by four different routes-Price and Van Dorn taking the two roads to the east of the railroad, striking the lower crossing of Twenty Mile Creek some 14 miles from Booneville; other portions of their troops fled by the two roads to the west, one leading by Crockett's Crossing, Osborn's and Wolf's Creeks, and the other by Dick Smith's, both debouching at Blackland. I further learned that Polk's and Bragg's columns has passed down, and were passing at the time on roads still more to the westward, one diverging from Rienzi, the other leading direct from Corinth through Kossuth.

Being now some 10 miles in advance of our main infantry advance, I deemed reconnoiter all the routes and country with the battery and carefully reconnoiter all the routes and country lying between Booneville, Blackland, and Twenty Mile Creek, particularly as the most reliable information I could gather led me to believe that the rebels were at these places in force. Accordingly I started scouts on all the roads above mentioned to push rapidly and vigorously on and determine the whereabouts of the enemy. At 7 o'clock messengers arrived almost simultaneously from all the scouts, reporting the enemy in force at several points on Twenty Mile Creek, particularly at the main crossings. The railroad and bridges were found to be on fire.

These reports all being confirmed by subsequent information, on the 3rd of June I received orders to make a forced reconnaissance toward Baldwin. I proceeded with the Third Michigan and Seventh Illinois Cavalry, the first division under Colonel Morgan, and Powell's, Hescock's, and Houghtaling's batteries, by the main road to Baldwin, on the left-hand road from Booneville. Proceeding some 4 miles, where the road forks, I pushed forward, Captain Botham, Company L, Third Michigan, on the left, and Lieutenant Dykeman, with two companies Third Michigan,on the right hand roads. Leaving Colonel Morgan, with a part of his division an Hescock's and Houghtaling's batteries, to guard the right-hand road, I followed with Colonel Roberts' brigade, Powell's battery, and the rest of the cavalry, upon the left or main Baldwin road, upon which was now hard sharp firing.

Pressing on, I overtook at another fork the road, near a grist mill, Captain Botham, who had driven the enemy's pickets in nearly 4 miles, with a loss of 3 men killed and wounded and several horses wounded. Stationing at the mill five companies of infantry and one company of cavalry, to command the roads that were found to branch from there into Twenty Mile Creek, I pushed on with the rest of the command. The enemy slowly retired, skirmishing. I continued to press him closely, with the Forty-second Illinois deployed in the woods as skirmishers and portions cleared land on my left flank, and Powell's battery by sections and the rest of Roberts's closely following, in which order we arrived within 1 1/2 miles of Twenty Mile Creek. We