Great credit and praise is due to all the subordinate officers and men of my detachment for their coolness and calm courage under the many trying positions we were placed.

I have the honor, captain, to be your obedient servant,

H. A. TYLER,

Captain, Commanding Detachment Faulkner's Kentucky Regiment

Captain Thomas M. CROWDER,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

Numbers 55. Report of Colonel Tyree H. Bell, C. S. Army, commanding Fourth Brigade.

HEADQUARTERS FOURTH BRIGADE FORREST'S CAVALRY,
Near Buena Vista, Miss., July 23, 1864.

CAPTAIN: On the morning of the 8th instant, while encamped near Tupelo, the Fourth Brigade struck camp and moved in the direction of Kelly's Mill, on the Tallahatchie River, on the road leading fro Ellistown to Ripley. The Second and SIXTEENTH Tennessee Regiments were halted at Ellistown, remaining all night, while the Fifteenth and Colonel Newsom's regiments were ordered to the Tallahatchie River, doing picket duty and watching the enemy's movements until the evening of the 9th, when they were ordered back to Ellistown, the enemy having changed his direction and moved on the road to Pontotoc, crossing the river at New Albany. In the mean time, however, the Second Tennessee had been ordered from Ellistown to New Albany to watch the enemy's movements. On returning to Ellistown with the two regiments which were with me to the front, I there found Brigadier-General Buford with the remainder of the DIVISION. He soon moved off on the Pontotoc road with the brigade he had brought up with him. After feeding my horses I followed on with the regiments which were with me, the Second Tennessee having been detached to skirmish with the enemy, marching all night.

On the morning of the 10th we moved through Pontotoc on the Okolona road, and having no forage nor any prospect of getting any, General Buford ordered me to Okolona to get forage. I reached Okolona after night and there remained until the evening of the 12th, when orders were received from Major-General Forrest to move off on the Pontotoc road. At Prairie Mound, four miles and a half from town, the Second Tennessee was met, the men and horses considerably jaded. Here it was halted and the horses were fed, the regiments with me moving on within seven miles of Pontotoc, where we bivouacked for the night.

In the morning early (the 13th) the Second Tennessee came up and the brigade moved forward on the road within five miles of Pontotoc, when it was moved off the left of the road some distance, dismounted, and formed in line of battle. In a short time orders came to remount and move forward to Pontotoc; the enemy was retreating. Before reaching Pontotoc, however, orders were received to move my brigade to the right on to the Verona road, as the enemy was reported moving on the Tupelo road. We moved quietly on until reaching the road leading from Tupelo to Okolona; there we took the Tupelo end of the road. Marching two and a half or three miles to the Coonewar Creek, we dis-