and this novelty was intensified by knowing that they were fighting their old command. I have them now at work hunting guerrillas, and hope to make good soldiers out of many of them. I return in the morning to dardanelle and Fort Smith.

General Steele, under his instructions, is attending to Price, who is at Arkadelphia, and cannot at this time send troops up the river. he tells me to organize the Union men and used them until something new is developed.

It is true that my chief operations are below the river, and consequently out of your district, but it merely happens that the points I occupy are on the south side. The results to the cause and the benefit to your district are the same, and as the people are accidentally placed in the position to cal upon me for assistance, I cannot find it in my heart to desert them. I trust that you will justify this, and in your future orders take this in consideration. When these men are organized, they can keep their own locality clear, and I can then move with more certainty to clean out Washington and Benton Counties. The forage and subsistence are abundant.

I shall continue to report to your headquarters, and take the orders which I may receive from Blunt and Steele, as advisory, looking to you for those which I am to follow.

Should I arrive safety at Fort Smith, I will communicate again.

Most respectfully, your obedient servant,

W. F. CLOUD,

Colonel, Commanding.

Brigadier-General McNEIL,

Commanding Southwestern District of Missouri.

Numbers 3. Report of Brigadier General W. L. Cabell, C. S. Army, including operations July 17-September 14 (skirmishes between the San Bois and Scullyville and at Jenny Lind, &c.).

HEADQUARTERS CABELL'S BRIGADE,
December 7, 1863.

CAPTAIN: I have the honor to submit the following report in reference to the evacuation of Fort Smith by the troops of my command. The command I had, which was called a brigade, consisted of [J. C.] Monroe's [Lee L.] Thomson's, and [J. F.] Hill's regiments of cavalry, [J. L.] Witherspoon's, [W. A.] Crawford's, and Woosley's battalions of cavalry, [A. S.] Morgan's infantry regiment, four iron 6-pounder battery, also several little independent companies of Partisan Rangers. (Hill's regiment, and Woosley's and Crawford's battalions were raised from deserters and jayhawkers who had been lying out in the mountains, and forced into service.) The aggregate of the whole amounted to over 3,000, yet, notwithstanding, I could never get into the filed at any one time over 1,600 men, and never more than 1,200 of them for duty. During the month of July, after having made a big scout into Northwest Arkansas and Southwest Missouri, I was ordered to join General Cooper's command in the Indian country, which I did a few days after General Cooper's fight with Blunt.

I joined him on the east side of the Canadian at Camp Pike. Remained there, under command of General Steele, for a few days, when we moved to Prairie Springs, within 20 miles of Fort Gibson. From