whole, I computed there were 10,000 of the cavalry in Middle Tennessee, at the least which to fit them for duty in the field would require remounts, and wholly or in part a new equipment. Besides which there was, as you know, a considerable force dismounted on the railroads below Chattanooga, of which I could not learn with any degree of precision the number or condition, and General Croxton's brigade at this place nearly ready to march. I must say here that the information afforded by the records found in this office on my arrival here was very imperfect and unsatisfactory; there was no report or returns from the cavalry of the Army of the Ohio later than March 30, and none from the Army of the Cumberland later than May 30. Though I have made application for them, they have not been able to bring them up in General Thomas' command to a letter date than June 20. I never received any from the Army of the Ohio. To equip this vast I found absolutely no serviceable cavalry horses, a very meager supply of horse equipments, and no saddle blankets, some 100 sabers, and no reliable cavalry fire-arms; altogether there was not enough of everything to equip, indifferently, one full cavalry regiment. I immediately addressed myself to urging upon the officials of the ordnance and quartermaster's departments such measures as seemed to be likely to remedy this condition of things in the hope that time would be afforded me to so arrange affairs that I should be enabled to send out from the start complete organizations, thoroughly mounted, armed, and equipped.

The presence of the enemy under General Wheeler, however, who appeared within sight of Nashville on the 1st of September, interfered with my plans, and made it necessary to send out every man for whom a horse, a saddle, and a gun could be provided; accordingly, I organized a battalion of near 1,000 men, composed of detachments from different regiments, and mounted mostly on unserviceable horses and many of them on mules saddles and armed with infantry arms, and sent them out under General Croxton, whose brigade, as I have mentioned, was then here nearly ready to go to the front. Immediately upon the return of these troops, which was not until the 15th, I dispatched the Ninth Ohio Cavalry to Louisville to draw 500 horse equipments which I had provided there, enough to equip the regiment, and to bring down 1,00 horses. In the mean time I got off 400 horses in charge of 247 men of his brigade, for Colonel Watkins at Calhoun, Ga. ; remounted and armed the Sixth Indiana, and a good number of detachments along the line of the Tennessee and Alabama road, which it seemed desirable to keep in serviceable condition, in order that we might have early notice, or that, at least, the officer commanding that district might have the means of keeping himself notified of any movement of the enemy's cavalry in that direction, which then seemed probable. Croxton was also at Franklin waiting for horse equipments, to supply some men whom he had compelled to leave behind on the Wheeler raid, and horses in place of those which had given out. I had hardly gotten a and some other detachments into shape to send off, about 2,000 in all, and Croxton was ready to march, when Forrest's raid compelled the retention of all these troops in Middle Tennessee. I was able to bring into the field to co-operate with General Rousseau against Forrest near 5,000 cavalry. But all of these, except the Sixth Indiana and Ninth Ohio, were so indifferently organized and officered, being composed of detachments from nearly all the regiments in the army, raw recruits, stragglers, hospital rangers, &c., that they broke down their horses, short as the campaign was, and I had to bring them back here to recuperate. Major-General Thomas gave orders to General Croxton,