they had no time for plunder, and took nothing out of the city, except about 25 private horses, and the horses belonging to one section of battery stationed near the picket-line. They captured abut 150 prisoners, nearly all 100-days' men. After the force that rode into the city joined the force outside, they fought our troops for some time and then retreated rapidly the same way they came. We had about 30 killed and 80 wounded. The enemy's loss in killed was something greater, and we have many of their wounded in our hands, also many prisoners.

My cavalry is nearly all in the front with General Smith, but what little I had here, about 400, pursued him twenty-five miles, he moving off as rapidly as the jaded condition of his animals would allow. He crossed in coming here the Tallahatchie River at Panola, on a pontoon bridge, which points is about thirty miles from Oxford. They cut the telegraph between here and La Grange, but I succeeded in getting it repaired by 12 m., on Sunday, and by 1 p. m. had a courier with 100 cavalry as an escort bearing dispatched to General Smith from that point, with instructions to get through at any cost. I supposed Smith to have been at or near Oxford and my courier should reach him Monday morning. Smith was instructed to send 1,500 cavalry at once to Panola and take possession and hold that, the only crossing, while with the rest of the cavalry he was instructed to cross the Tallahatchie on the bridge he built at Abbeville and come round on Forrest's rear. I have heard nothing, but I am not without great hope that they will be intercepted and captured.

General Smith has between 4,000 and 5,000 cavalry with him, and in the exhausted condition that Forrest's men and horses are in, it would seem that if our cavalry does its duty they should not get away. As the case now stands he has broken down a large portion of the horses of that part of his command that was with him and has attained no advantages, except perhaps in having an excess of prisoners of 75 to 100. I hope before it is fairly over that the advantages will be still less.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

C. C. WASHBURN,

Major-General.

[AUGUST 24, 1864. -For A. J. Smith to Washburn, relative to operations against Forrest, &c., see Part I, p. 470.]

LOUISVILLE, KY., August 24, 1864.

(Received 9. 20 p. m.)

Major General H. W. HALLECK,

Chief of Staff:

GENERAL: I have been ordered here by Major-General Sherman and Howard to communicate with you respecting the troops of this department on the MISSISSIPPI River, and to represent the state of the command there. I mailed here a letter from Major-General Sherman to you on the subject. The following is from General Howard:

First. Fragments of regiments and regiments belonging to brigades and DIVISIONS of the SIXTEENTH and Seventeenth Corps, in the front, have, under the direction of General Canby, been ordered up the White River. They were absent up Red River with General Banks when General McPherson's army moved. Portions of these