of Brownsville. Your command will move with five days' cooked rations.

Your movement is intended to co-operate with one to be made by General Forrest on Fort Pillow, and he desires that it should be made promptly and that the demonstration should be as heavy as possible. When you retire you will (if you are not followed by the enemy) deploy your command in every direction, with orders to arrest, and bring to you at Brownsville all men between the ages of eighteen and forty-five years, and all officers and soldiers absent from their commands without proper authority. You will also send out proper offices to impress horses to mount your dismounted men, in accordance with the inclosed instructions* from General Forrest. A strong rear guard will be held together to protect you scattered men. If the enemy press you in force, you will keep together enough men to elude them.

Colonel Duckworth will be ordered to move to Randolph via Covington, and will return and meet you in Brownsville.

The brigadier-general commanding will go to Brownsville to-morrow; he will accompany the movement on Fort Pillow.

The contents of this letter, so far as it relates to the movements of General Forrest, are strictly confidential.

Respectfully, your obedient servant,

W. A. GOODMAN,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

CONFIDENTIAL.] HDQRS. FIRST DIV., FORREST'S CAV. DEPT.,

Jackson, Tenn., April 8, 1864.

Colonel J. McGUIRK,

Commanding Third Regiment Miss. State Cav., Holly Springs:

COLONEL: The brigadier-general commanding directs me to say to you, by instruction of Major-General Forrest, that you will move with your regiment on Sunday morning next, if possible, toward Memphis, and make a strong demonstration on that place. If it is not possible for you to move on Sunday, you will move on Monday morning. As this movement is intended to co-operate with one to be made by General Forrest, it is important that it should be made promptly. You will maneuver in front of Memphis, and in such a manner as to threaten that place, until Wednesday next, when you will withdraw your forces.

On your return you will bring with you all men between the ages of eighteen and forty-five years, and all officers and men absent from their commands without proper authority, and will deliver them to Colonel T. W. White, chief of conscript bureau for that district. You will also collect and bring south of the Tallahatchie River all squads of men and unorganized and incomplete companies, especially those of Captains Rogers and Wimberley.

The First Regiment Mississippi Partisan Rangers, a part of which is at Abbeville and the remainder at Panola, will be ordered to co-operate with you in this movement and will be subject to your orders. They will be ordered to report to you at Como, unless you should direct them to some other point.

Respectfully, your obedient servant,

W. A. GOODMAN,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

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*Not found.

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