Mower, with almost incredible celerity cleared Whippy Swamp, with its deep water, seven burnt bridges and the road filled with felled trees; made a successful reconnaissance to Broxton's Bridge, forcing the enemy to destroy it and to defend the causeway; then, aided by the Ninth Illinois Mounted Infantry, drove back the enemy's cavalry and reached Rivers' Bridge so quickly as to arrest and effectually prevent their destruction. The same division, under the same indomitable leadership, in one day made two infantry roadways through the swamp a mile and a half in extent, demonstrated strongly on the enemy's fortified front, completely tuned his position, and planted itself firmly on the eastern shore of this indescribably ugly Salkehatchie. All this was done in the face of canister and shells and a sharp, obstinate musketry fire from behind works. Your Fourth Division, under Bvt. Major General Giles A. Smith, also crossed this wide and troublesome swamp, wading in water above the knee, skirmished successfully with the enemy, and cut off all re- enforcements rom below which might have hindered General Mower's success. The immediate fruits of the victory are the abandonment by the enemy of Broxton's, Rivers', and Buford's Bridges, the opening up of the country beyond and its supplies, placing hors de combat some 200 of the enemy, and the gain of morale over him produced by the wonderful vigor an boldness of our men in overcoming apparently impassable obstacles.

I sympathize with you most deeply in your losses. Every soldier who has fallen is a precious sacrifice that must give us pain, and the loss we suffer in Colonel Swayne, Lieutenant-Colonel Kirby, and their wounded comrades, we can ill afford.

Permit me to thank you for your wise disposition, and your officers and men for their cheerful, gallant, enterprising, and successful work achieved at the very opening of this campaign.

Very respectfully, yours,

O. O. HOWARD,

Major- General.

P. S. - Your THIRD Division, under Brigadier-General Force, that made the successful detour through Angley's, occupying the enemy at Buford's, and coming up just in time to re- enforce if needed, is not forgotten or unappreciated.

O. O. HOWARD,

Major- General.

Numbers 48.

Reports of Major General Joseph A. Mowr, U. S. Army, commanding First Division, of operations February 1- March 24.

SIR: I have the honor to submit the following report of the operations of my command from the 1st to the 3rd of February, 1865:

My command left camp near Pocotaligo, S. C., the 1st of February, with the Ninth Illinois Mounted Infantry in advance, who kept driving the enemy until I reached a swamp in the vicinity of Whippy Creek, when the cavalry proceeded on a left- hand road. Here I found the causeway leading through the swamp obstructed with felled timber,