at Bridgeport. The One hundred and sixth Ohio Volunteers, and Sixth Kentucky Volunteers are at Cowan, the tunnel, and at Stevenson; average strength of both regiments about 600 men.

Rousseau's artillery runs about as follows: Fragments of five batteries, at Nashville; average strength, 515 men. The reserve artillery of the Department of the Cumberland, comprising Batteries F, G, H, and M, Fourth U. S. Artillery, and H, Fifth U. S. Artillery; aggregate strength, 200; and Company E, First Ohio Light Artillery, 115 men. At Clarksville and Fort Donelson, Battery H, Second Illinois Light Artillery, 125 men; Battery C, Second Illinois Light Artillery, 127 men. At Gallatin, the Thirteenth Indiana Battery, 135. At Johnsonville, Tenn., First Kansas Battery, 99 men. At Murfreesborough, the Eighth Wisconsin Battery, 142; Twelfth Ohio Battery, 138, and Battery D, First Michigan Light Artillery, 138. At Tullahoma, Second Kentucky Battery, 116 men. At Stevenson, Ala., Battery K, First Ohio Light Artillery, 116 men. At Decatur, Battery A, First Tennessee Light Artillery, 113 men; Battery F. First Ohio Light Artillery, 122; Battery D, Second Illinois, 85 men. At Huntsville, Battery D, First Missouri Light Artillery, 42 men; and at Columbia, Twenty-first Indiana Battery, 111 men.

General Steedman's command is as follows: Eighth Kentucky, Sixty- eighth Indiana, and FIFTY-eighth and Sixty-eighth New York are at Bridgeport and Whiteside's bridge, Tenn., averaging about 1,000 men; Ninth Ohio Battery, 136 men, and Battery B, First Ohio Light Artillery, 133 men, at Bridgeport.

The garrison of Chattanooga is composed of five regiments Indiana volunteers averaging about 200 men each; an organization of detachments of various Ohio regiments, about 600 strong; Fourteenth and SIXTEENTH Regiments (negroes), about 1,000, and Regular Brigade, on lookout Mountain, about 1,200. With Fourth Corps, and enough of the new regiments to make up an active force of 25,000 infantry, I will undertake to clear the rebels out of WEST Tennessee, and draw off enough of Hood's army from you to enable you to move anywhere in Georgia or Alabama you may wish without difficulty, and if Hood should follow your army I will destroy the Mobile and Alabama Railroad so effectually that he will scarcely attempt to repair it again. If you can possible spare me the troops I would like to have enough to hold the railroad securely as far as Knoxville. I believe that the re-enforcements constantly going forward will enable you to do so. Your letter by hand of Colonel Warner has been received.

GEO. H. THOMAS,

Major-General.

DECATUR, October 25, 1864.

Major-General THOMAS:

I have has scouts out on the south side of the river as far as Flint River. The Stone River returned this morning; she went up last night with 150 men, who penetrated the country for five miles near Whitesburg. They found no indications of the enemy. I see no reason to believe there is any enemy within a few days' march of this place, and these are Roddey's men. Three good scouts have been sent at different points from Whitesburg and above.

R. S. GRANGER,

Brigadier-General.

28 R R -VOL XXXIX, PT III