ordering him to move on Purdy, was received and forwarded by me, reaching General Veatch at Clifton and Savannah. The order spoken of as issued April 2, ordering him to remain at Purdy, was not sent through these headquarters.

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

G. M. DODGE,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.

HDQRS. FOURTH DIVISION, SIXTEENTH ARMY CORPS,
Prospect, Tenn., April 7, 1864.

GENERAL: At Vicksburg, on March 6, 1864, I received a special order and letter of instructions of Major-General Sherman, commanding Department of the Tennessee, to move my command then present by water to Cairo; thence up Tennessee River to some convenient point; then to march by land and to report to you at Athens.

My command consisted of the Twenty-fifth Wisconsin, Colonel Montgomery; Thirty-second Wisconsin, Colonel Howe; Seventeenth New York, Colonel Grower; Thirty-fifth New Jersey, Colonel Cladek; a detachment of the Twenty-fifth Indiana, Captain Larkin, and Company D, Second Illinois Light Artillery, Captain Cooper. As soon as transportation could be procured, my command was moved to Memphis to procure proper outfit for the field; thence to Cairo, reaching there on the 21st March. While waiting transportation at Cairo, the rebel General Forrest attacked Union City, Tenn., and at the request of Brigadier-General Brayman, commanding post at Cairo, the Twenty-fifth Wisconsin, Thirty-second Wisconsin Thirty-fifth New Jersey, and Seventeenth New York, under command of Colonel Montgomery, were moved down to re-enforce the garrison at Union City. The garrison had surrendered before they reached that place, and the troops returned to Cairo.

On the evening of the 25th of March, boats were reported ready to take the command up Tennessee River, and orders were issued to embark on the morning of the 26th.

On the afternoon of the 25th, Forrest attached Paducah, Ky., and at the request of Brigadier-General Brayman I sent the Thirty-second Wisconsin, Colonel Howe, to re-enforce that place. He left Cairo at 12 o'clock at night, and reached Paducah early on the morning of the 26th. My whole command arrived at Paducah during the night of the 26th, but we were delayed until 3.30 p. m. on the 27th, waiting for a transport containing a large part of the division train.

Forrest had left Paducah, and was reported to have gone in the direction of Columbus. I proceeded up Tennessee River with the intention of landing at Clifton to march to Pulaski.

At 10.40 a. m. on the 28th, I received, by gun-boat Robb, Major-General Sheridan's dispatch dated 4.15 p. m., 27th, directing me to "push rapidly to Savannah and move to Purdy to cut off Forrest's retreat." I made all possible speed up the river, touching at Clifton to send dispatch to you, and reached Savannah at 1 p. m. on the 29th, when I waited two hours for a detachment of Second Tennessee Mounted Infantry to join me, which had been ordered to report to me at that point by Major Murphy, commanding post at Clifton.

The detachment failing to reach me in time, I moved up to Williams' Landing, 4 miles above Savannah, and made preparations for a rapid march the next morning, taking three days' rations in haversacks, 60 rounds of ammunition, and all the forage that could be carried with our limited transportation-one wagon to the regiment.