prisoner near Tullahoma. He arrived in camp yesterday with a regular parole signed by a captain commanding a detachment of Colonel Starnes' command. Information received at Tullahoma and from this prisoner convinces me that a detachment of several hundred of the enemy's cavalry were in the vicinity of Tullahoma when my command passed that place.

I have now in my charge several prisoners and several horses captured in the vicinity of Pelham, as well as 4 men belonging to the Fourth Ohio Cavalry, who are held by me as prisoners, together with three of the horses and the accouterments belonging to one of the men were captured by the enemy.

I have the honor to be, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

J. C. WALKER,

Colonel Thirty-fifth Indiana.

WASHINGTON, July 19, 1862.

Hon. E. M. STANTON,

Secretary of War:

SIR: In my note of July 18 I made a distinct denial of the charges made against me before the Military Committee of having failed to do my duty in repressing pillaging and plundering by the troops under my command.

I now desire to lay before you positive evidence of having done my duty in this particular in the most earnest and energetic manner.

First. I send you copies of the orders issued by me against all irregularities of every kind.*

Second. The record will show that, notwithstanding the fact that my troops were perpetually in motion and almost daily engaged in repelling the attacks of the enemy, I managed to keep a division courtmartial in session during the whole time that I had command in Middle Tennessee and Northern Alabama; and that offenders, wherever they could be found, were brought before the court, tried, convicted, sentenced, and punished.

Third. In the special cases of the excesses committed by the soldiers of the Eighth Brigade on the recapture of Athens, I visited the town, addressed the citizens, induced them to organize a committee to hear all complaints, and then ordered that the brigade commanders should cause every soldier under his command to be searched and every officer to state in writing upon honor that he had not in his possession any property said to have been pillaged.

The committee of citizens finally reported to me, but in this report no charge was made against any particular officer or soldier, and the committee simply presented the bills against the Government of the United States of 45 individuals, who claimed to have suffered damage at the hands of the soldiers of the Eighth Brigade. I send you a copy [marked A] of my letter addressed to the committee.+

Touching the outrage said to have been committed upon a negro girl in the presence of her mistress, I went myself and saw the mis-

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*See also Mitchel to Stanton, May 19, 1862, p.204; copy of which was one of the inclosures to this letter.

+See under date of May 24, p.212.

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