the battle of Corinth, but they claim that they have received 10,000 men from various quarters. Blythe has about 700 cavalry on the Hernando road and line of Coldwater. Jackson has 4,500 cavalry at my old camp on Coldwateer, near Holly Springs. The infantry is camped all about the town, and all seem to be in high spirits. Pemberton is now in command.

On balancing all accounts received I don't think they can attack, but will await attack. They may occupy Davis' Mill; but if you advance, La Grange is the point. The aggregate force at Holly Springs I should judge to be about 23,000 all told. Cavalry now in good order; infantry only so so; clothing poor and scarce of blankets and shoes; plenty of corn-meal and beef; all else scarce. The letters claim that Bragg whipped Buell, taking 17,000 prisoners.

No firing on our boats since the Gladiator, and I think we should not hesitate to make the country feel the full effects of all such attempts. I am just going to review two of my brigades, which are in fine order.

Yours, truly,

W. T. SHERMAN,

Major-General, Commanding.

SPECIAL ORDERS,
HEADQUARTERS,

Numbers 285.
Memphis, October 22, 1862.

Colonel B. H. Grierson, Sixth Illinois Cavalry, will preparate a select battalion of about 400 strong and leave Memphis to-night at about 3 a. m., so as to reach the vicinity of Colliersville about sunrise; then make a feint against Mount Pleasant and Coldwater, and turn north of Wolf River, passing the Somerville road near Rising Sun, and camp the first night so as to deceive the enemy as to his design; then turn upon Shelby Depot and clean out effectually such buildings as have been used for a rendezvous to guerrillas operating thereabouts, and then strike for the Mississippi at Randolph.

II. Colonel Stuart, of the Fifty-fifth Illinois, will with the effective strength of his regiment about the same time move on Raleigh and Union Depot and there destroy the depot buildings and such as are used exclusively by guerrilla bands, and operate in that neighborhood thoroughly.

III. The quartermaster, Captain Fitch, will have two small or one large steamboat at Randolph to take on board the cavalry when it reaches that point, viz, on Friday morning, there to await Colonel Grierson's orders.

IV. These orders will be delivered to each commander by an aide-de-camp, and will be kept strictly secret. Preparations will be made for an absence of three days, and each commander will act with a knowledge and in concert of the movements of the other. The object is to completely destroy Falkner's band of guerrillas, already in confusion from their losses at Island 10.

V. All armed men must be destroyed or captured, their houses and property to be destroyed or brought away. But our officers and soldiers must be informed that already a reaction has begun in Tennessee, of which we should take advantage. The people at large should be made to feel that in the existence of a strong Government, capable of protecting as well as destroying, they have a real interest; that they must at once make up their minds or else be involved in the destruction that awaits armed rebellion against the nation's will.

19 R R - VOL XVII, PT II