mand with camp and garrison equipage and transportation, and return to this city, occupying his former encampment. Captain Fort, assistant quartermaster, will furnish a steam-boat for this purpose. All captured and abandoned property collected at this present encampment will also be forwarded to this place and reported to the assistant special agent, Treasury Department, on its arrival here.

By order of Brigadier General J. McArthur:

W. H. F. RANDALL,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

On arriving here I made a report to the Treasury agent of the 282 bales brought up by the ram Switzerland in a barge, which accompanied us. He said it had been reported to him by General Ellet. I asked some questions in reference to the amount, and kind of evidence required to condemn this cotton we had been getting. Told him I believed it nearly all justly belonged to the United States, and I thought my evidence and that of my officers would be important. He said cotton could not be condemned or confiscated here; that all such cases had to go to the North, and be tried by a court; that when he found a lot of cotton that other parties claimed, and he thought there was evidence enough to condemn it, he sent it up with the papers, but had sent up so many cases wherein the claim of the Government had not been sustained that he did not thing that the evidence against any of this cotton we had been engaged in getting out was strong enough to condemn it; that the letters C. S. A on a bale of cotton was not positive evidence to its being C. S. A cotton; that a lot with the heads torn out or altered was not evidence, and that the affidavit of Mr. Dohan and his neighbors was evidence that Dohan had or could prove that this cotton was sold to the Confederacy and marked, but that he wanted 12 1/2 cents per pound and they refused to pay it, so he took it back.

I obtained in the twenty days about 20 recruits. General Ellet would not let my officers go out with his cavalry to get any. General Ellet's men got out cotton at Rodney, which I had nothing to do with. The general and the Treasury agents and cotton speculators, by the general's consent or orders, took possession of all the cotton I brought in. They rolled nice C. S. A. cotton and inferior private cotton all together, notwithstanding my present that it should be kept separate, or at least marked.

To sum up, we marched 250 miles injured our transportation, exposed our lives, got but few recruits, and as far as ending the war is concerned we did just nothing at all; but,if anything,served to prolong it by assisting a lot of rebels and thieves to sell and get to market about 1,515 bales of private, C. S. A, and abandoned cotton, and a lot of speculators, whose loyalty I very much suspect, in making fortunes.

I had told my officers and men that we had made for the United States about $200,000, but from the conversation I had with John A. McDowell, assistant Treasury agent, I have come to the conclusion that we have not assisted in putting one cent into the U. S. Treasury.

I am, sir, yours, very respectfully,

CHARLES A. GILCHRIST.

Colonel Twelfth Louisiana, African Descent.

Lieutenant Colonel W. T. CLARK,

Assistant Adjutant-General.