the personal efforts of Lieutenant Sherfy the enemy was forced across the river and the bridge burned. This operation proved a most important one, as the Right Wing of the army was at the time moving up to the support of the Left, leaving the trains of the army, with this bridge undestroyed, greatly exposed, while its destruction rendered them perfectly secure, thereby relieving the commanding officer from much anxiety on that score. Lieutenant Sherfy in his report further says of the operations of his party:

During the engagement at Bentonville on the 20th and 21st we were constantly at the front, reconnoitering and watching the movements of the enemy. Early on the morning of the 22nd I started to the front to try to establish a station of observation, but finding the enemy had retreated and our troops were pursuing, I pushed on for the front. While on my way there, accompanied by two of my men, Privates Snell and Bull, I discovered a body of rebels approaching from the woods, and before learning who they were I was too near to make my escape in case they should fire, but as they showed no signs of hostility, thinking I was one of their own men, I rode rapidly to them and told the commanding officer that they were cut off and that escape was impossible, and at the same time I demanded their surrender, which was granted. I then had them stack arms and march back to camp, a distance of two miles, with no other guard than my two men, while the prisoners numbered eighty, five commissioned officers and seventy-five men. During the campaign it was impossible to do any signal duty on account of the level and wooded nature of the country and the rapidity of the movements of the army, but endeavored to make ourselves useful in other ways. Lieutenant Adams and myself did staff duty for the general (Logan), one of us being with him each day and the other, with the enlisted men of the detachment, being out scouting or looking for roads for the marching column. During the campaign the detachment was in fifteen skirmishes, generally taking the enemy at a disadvantage and frequently causing him loss. I captured 84 prisoners, 7 of them commissioned officers, while our entire loss was 1 man wounded and 1 horse captured. It gives me pleasure to acknowledge the assistance I received from the entire detachment in the endeavor to do as much service as possible, and I can say with scarcely an exception each man did his duty well.

The detachment with the Seventh Army Corps, under Lieutenant Dunlap, though not as efficient as Lieutenant Sherfy's party, rendered service in various ways during the month; the officers aide duty principally, the enlisted men as couriers and foragers. On arriving at Fayetteville I found it necessary, on account of the personal misunderstanding mentioned in my February report still existing between Lieutenants Dunlap and Allen, to separate those two officers. Special orders were issued relieving Lieutenant Dunlap from duty with the Seventeenth Army Corps and placing Lieutenant Allen in charge. By arrangements with Captain Bachtell he relieved Lieutenant Kelly from duty with the Fourteenth Army Corps, who joined Lieutenant Allen with the Seventeenth, Lieutenant Dunlap taking Kelly's place at the former. The order relieving Dunlap was afterward revoked to Captain B. for duty with the Fourteenth Army Corps. In requesting the revocation of the order, General Blair, I afterward learned, had no objection to a change in the officer in charge of the detachment with his corps, but he did not want Alsatisfied from what I have learned in regard to the matter, and from the hitherto uniformly good character and standing of Lieutenant Allen in the detachment, that Major-General Blair laborer under a misapprehension regarding that officer, and that such misapprehension was brought about through the instrumentality of Lieutenant Dunlap.

With but one exception the conduct of the officers and men of this detachment during the recent campaign was all that could be desired. They performed cheerfully whatever duty was assigned them, and contributed in no small degree to the success of the campaign. The detachments were engaged in twenty-three skirmishers, captured ninety-one prisoners of war, including seven commissioned officers,