Our cavalry is weary, but will soon be rested and in better condition than before. I will set Grierson to work fixing them up and go to Nashville immediately, where I am greatly needed.

Grierson behaved nobly, and is a man of more capacity than either you or I have credited him with.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

WM. SOOY SMITH,

Brigadier-General, Chief of Cavalry.

Major General W. T. SHERMAN,

Commanding Department of the Tennessee.

MEMPHIS TENN.,

February 26, 1864.

SIR: I penetrated to West Point, Miss., with my cavalry, reaching that point on Sunday, the 21st instant.

Burnt 2,000,000 bushels of corn and 2,000 bales of Confederate cotton. Brought our about 3,000 horses and mules and 1,500 negroes.

Could not force my way through to Sherman. He took Meridian at noon on Sunday, the 14th instant, without serious resistance.

Enemy reported falling back on Demopolis and Selma, where they are said to be re-enforcing from Dalton and Atlanta.

I could not hear that Sherman had advanced beyond Meridian. A portion of his force was reported at Lauderdale and afterward at Scooba, but I could not get into communication with him.

I fought the rebels at four points severely, and skirmished with them as we retired for 60 miles. We had the best of them at all points except at Okolona, where our loss was very severe, including a battery of small howitzers, which was driven into a ditch and so disabled that we could not get it along. This whole trouble resulted from the bad conduct of a portion of McCrills' brigade.

I will write fully, start back to Nashville about day after to-morrow.

WM. SOOY SMITH,

Brigadier-General, Chief of Cavalry.

Major General U. S. GRANT,

Nashville.

HEADQUARTERS CHIEF OF CAVALRY,
MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI,

Nashville, Tenn., March 4,* 1864.

SIR: I have the honor to submit the following report of recent cavalry operations made by the direction of Major-General Grant, commanding the Military Division of the Mississippi, and in accordance with the [orders and+] written instructions of Major-General Sherman, commanding, the Department of the Tennessee, copies of which are herewith inclosed.++

On the 28th day of December, 1863, I started from this city with

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* Another report, dated April 3, 1864, is on file; discrepancies between that and this are indicated by foot notes.

+ Not in report of April 3.

++ See inclosure No. 3 to Sherman's report of March 7, 1864, p.181.

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