service, left Alexandria at that time and reached here at 12 o'clock noon. They say that the grated part of the rebel army was then in Alexandria and arrived there with them; that a portion had preceded them, and a portion had not arrived when they left. A small force of cavalry, about 500, they say, was left at the Evergreens, above Homesville, to observe us. The rebels had about thirty steamboats at Alexandria; two of these boats left there for the Black River on Wednesday; they were loaded with molasses, sugar, bacon, and other provisions for the rebel army. The rebels were loading other boats with their ammunition, guns, and other stores to transport to Shreveport. The stand at Alexandria was to be put temporary. The rebel force is going to the Upper Red River and Texas.

Your dispatch of to-day, ordering me to halt in my present position, is received. I shall advance about 3 miles to a good camping ground.

The opening of navigation must give you from this vicinity 10,000 bales of cotton, besides a large quantity of sugar. The greater part of the cotton destroyed is that in the gin and unpinned. All baled cotton is carefully preserved by planters or speculators.

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

WILLIAM DWIGHT, JR.,

Brigadier-General, Commanding Brigade.

Lieutenant-Colonel IRWIN,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS FIRST BRIGADE, GROVER'S DIVISION, In camp on Bayou Boeuff, beyond Washington, La., April 27, 1863.

SIR: In compliance with Special Orders, No. 100, I have the honor to submit the following report of the operations of this brigade from the time it left Baton Rouge until its arrival in Opelousas:

This brigade embarked on board the transports Saint Mary's, Iberville, Morning Light, Empire Parish, and Saint Maurice on the afternoon of March 26, 1863. These transports sailed at 5 o'clock a. m., March 27, 1863, for Donaldsonville, where the troops were debarked. The disorders of this embarkation and passage have been fully reported to you. The offenders in the Sixth Regiment New York Volunteers have been punished, and I may be permitted here to state that the conduct of the regiment since it has been pursued of its bad officers and soldiers has been such as to deserve great praise. The brigade remained in Donaldsonville until the morning of March 31, when it marched with the remainder of the division for Thibodeauzville. It marched through that place and encamped at Terre Bonne Railroad Station April 2, 1863. The next morning the brigade moved by railroad to Bayou Boeuff, where it encamped. The conduct of the brigade during this march was generally very good. No cases of marauding and pillage occurred, to my knowledge, such as have since disgraced this army. But in these early days of the march it was evident that the severest measures would be needed to secure obedience and order. In an aggravated case of disobedience of orders on the part of a soldier, and of his having attempted the lives of two officers who gave the orders, I ordered the immediate execution of the soldier. It would have been well if the execution had taken place. It was a military necessity to the morale of the command.