rations, which was carried by four brigade teams in addition to my regimental teams, and arrived at Fayetteville on the evening of June 3.

In pursuance of orders received at Fayetteville by courier, I left Fayetteville on the morning of June 5 and arrived at Winchester at 9 o'clock on the morning of June 6; went into camp on the river 1 mile east of Winchester.

One brigade wagon was broken down near Elk River, 10 or 12 miles west of Winchester, on the evening of the 5th. On the 7th I sent a teamster and four guards back for the wagon. After recovering the wagon they were attacked by a band of guerrillas, and the wagon and three of the guards were captured; the teamster and one guard escaped upon a mule. On the following day I sent out a detachment of 40 men, who traced up the wagon to where it had been burned, but who could obtain no intelligible information in regard to the prisoners.

I appointed a provost-marshal and established a provost guard in the town of Winchester. My command, however, was greatly annoyed by guerrilla bands hovering about in the vicinity of that place, making it necessary for me to send heavy escorts with our foraging wagons.

While at Winchester 4 men belonging to the Fourth Ohio Cavalry arrived at my camp with dispatches for yourself and Colonel Turchin. They desired to return from Winchester to Fayetteville, but the squad of cavalry under my command being worn down by scouting duty, I directed the four couriers referred to rest themselves and horses until the following morning and then proceed with dispatches to Chattanooga. They declared their purpose to go no farther, and on the following morning started to Fayetteville, when I caused them to be arrested and held as prisoners. I mounted 4 of my own men on the horses of these prisoners and sent them through with dispatches to Chattanooga.

One the night of the 11th of June I received an order from General Mitchel directing me, if I deemed my command sufficiently strong, to proceed to Pelham and occupy a gap in the mountain east of that place, for the purpose of cutting off the retreat of the enemy who might be driven in that direction by General Dumont, then marching towards McMinnville. Without knowing the strength of the enemy or the character of their arms I felt some hesitancy in taking the position designated with a command of but little over 350 men. I nevertheless marched to Pelham and took a position on the Jasper road at the base of the mountain, about 2 1/2 miles east of Pelham. On our march numerous bands of guerrillas were seen in the distance. While in camp near Pelham small detachments of my command, sent out in different directions to examine the country and obtain information, encountered numerous small bands of the enemy's cavalry, which were evidently the pickets of some regular force.

Information received led to the conviction that a force of the enemy's cavalry, about 1,600 strong, under the command of Colonel Starnes, were in the vicinity of Pelham, and that Colonel Starnes had with him, in addition to his cavalry, two pieces of artillery; from the description, they were probably iron four-pounder guns. On the evening of the 13th I received your order by courier, dated on the 11th near Manchester, directing me to proceed as quickly as possible to Shelbyville. I accordingly took up the line of march at 9 o'clock on the evening of the 13th and arrived at Shelbyville at 2 o'clock on the morning of the 15th. Some 2 or 3 of my men who straggled behind on the way have undoubtedly been taken prisoners. One of the couriers heretofore referred to belonging to the Fourth Ohio Cavalry, who had straggled behind, was taken

19 R R-VOL X, PT II