point; that in the afternoon of same day (23d) from 400 to 500 cavalry men were at Daneyville. My informant thought they designed making attack at Toone's Station.

L. F. ROSS,

Major-General, Commanding.

HDQRS. FIFTH DIVISION, ARMY OF THE TENNESSEE, Memphis, July 25, 1862.

Colonel JOHN A. RAWLINS,
Assistant Adjutant-General, Corinth, Miss.:

SIR: On Tuesday evening of last week, at Moscow, Tenn., I received General Grant's telegraphic dispatch to order the troops belonging to General McClernand's division to Bolivar and to march mine and General Hurlbut's divisions to Memphis, there to assume command, and to send all the infantry of General Lew. Wallace's division to Helena, Ark., there to report to General Curtis.

I immediately telegraphed to General Hurlbut at La Grange the substance of the order, and made my manuscript orders, Numbers 52, a copy of which will be sent by this mail along with the series, which orders were duly received by General Hurlbut, and a copy to Colonel Leggett, commanding at Grand Junction.

My orders contemplated that all the stores and sick at Grand Junction should proceed by rail to Bolivar and the troops march the distance (21 miles) by land. Colonel Leggett did not move on Wednesday, and when informed of the fact I directed General Hurlbut to see Colonel Leggett to ascertain the reason of his delay. General Hurlbut telegraphed me that Colonel Leggett was waiting to receive his orders from General McClernand. I then notified him we should wait twenty-four hours longer to cover his departure, when we should move.

I telegraphed this fact to General Grant, who approved it, and accordingly General Hurlbut moved his division from La Grange to Moscow on Thursday afternoon.

On Friday I marched my division 15 miles, to Colliersville, Hurlbut halting for water at La Fayette. On Saturday my division moved 15 miles, to White's Station, 9 miles from Memphis, Hurlbut halting at Germantown.

Not knowing the character of country about Memphis as to water, for which our men and animals suffered much, I rode into the city on Sunday morning before daylight, saw General Hovey early in the morning, and notified him to be ready to move at Helena with all his infantry immediately. All Sunday I rode about the city of Memphis examining the side and condition of Fort Pickering, and could find no water except in the Mississippi. Accordingly I sent orders out to White's Station for the troops to march in, and accordingly the whole command marched into Memphis, my division taking post at Fort Pickering and Hurlbut's just below the fort, drawing water out of the river.

On the 21st I issued my Orders, Numbers 56, assuming command, and same day Orders, Numbers 57, ordering General Hovey and command to proceed to Helena. General Hovey showed me a dispatch from General Grant, all the infantry regiments of your [his] command. My orders were all the infantry of Wallace's division. There was a regiment here (Slack's) not of Wallace's division, but of Hovey's command. Thinking General Curtis might want as large a force as possible, and there being only five regiments of Wallace's here, I ordered Colonel Slack's regiment also.

I think the good of the service would be advanced by keeping the