With the whole brigade, officers and men, there appeared to be a strife who would do most to carry out all orders received.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

M. F. FORCE,

Brigadier-General, Commanding Brigade.

Captain J. C. DOUGLASS,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

Appended is a list* of casualties and of destruction done. Several of the men captured near Canton were also wounded.

RAILROAD DESTROYED.

Near Brandon, by brigade working party, one-half mile of road and 50 feet of trestle.

At Chunky's Station: One hundred and twenty-fourth Illinois, trestle bridge, 150 feet; Thirty-first Illinois, one-half mile of railroad.

At Meridian: One hundred and twenty-fourth Illinois, 1 mile railroad and 50 feet trestle; Twentieth Illinois, 1 mile railroad; Thirty-first Illinois, 1 1/4 miles railroad.

At Canton: One hundred and twenty-fourth Illinois, 1 mile railroad, 50 feet trestle-work; Twentieth Illinois, three-fourths mile railroad, 60 feet trestle-work; Forty-fifth Illinois, one-half mile railroad, 74 feet trestle-work.

ARMY WAGONS DESTROYED.

At Jackson: By brigade detail, seven new wagons (empty).

Chunky's Station: One hundred and twenty-fourth Illinois, two (loaded); Forty-fifth Illinois, two (loaded). Besides 100 bales Confederate cotton and station-building at Chunky's Station.

RECAPITULATION.

Killed, none; wounded, officers, none; enlisted men, 7; missing in action, 19; lost while absent without leave, 4.

DESTROYED.

Miles of railroad, 6; feet of bridge and trestle-work, 435; army wagons, 15 (8 of them loaded); Confederate cotton, 100 bales.

Numbers 23. Report of Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Bradley, Twentieth Illinois Infantry, of expedition to Meridian.

HDQRS. TWENTIETH ILLINOIS INFANTRY VOLUNTEERS,
Big Black, Miss., March 8, 1864.

CAPTAIN: The following is a report of the operations of the Twentieth Regiment during the recent expedition under command of Major-General Sherman:

February 3, about 5 p. m., the regiment with the balance of the brigade crossed the Big Black River.

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* Nominal list of casualties (omitted) shows 2 men, One hundred and twenty-fourth Illinois, wounded at Clinton; 3 men, Forty-fifth Illinois, wounded at Chunky's Station; and 2 men, One hundred and twenty-fourth Illinois, wounded near Canton; also 1 man, Thirty-first Illinois, missing, near Brandon; 7 men One hundred and twenty-fourth Illinois, 1 man Twentieth Illinois, 6 men Thirty-first Illinois, and 4 men Forty-fifth Illinois, missing near Canton. Four men of the brigade were lost while straggling.

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