less than four after landing from the boats at Decatur we had advanced in the night six miles in a country and against an enemy of which we were almost entirely ignorant, and had taken possession of the camp and artillery of his rear guard.

Early the next morning [29th] I sent Lieutenant-Colonel Prosser with his command on the main Courtland road, while I advanced with the Fifteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry by the Brown's Ferry and Courtland road, both for the purpose of meeting the flank movement of any force that might come up form Bainbridge, where Hood's army had but just crossed the Tennessee River, and also to enable me to get in the rear of Roddey's force, if practicable, while he was being attacked by Colonel Prosser in front. Colonel Prosser first encountered the enemy at Hillsborough, five miles from our camp, and after a running skirmish of five miles more met General Roddey's main force drawn up in two lines at Pond Spring; without hesitation he charged it in the most gallant manner, broke both lines of the enemy, orating him o completely that the hardly attempted to make another stand, but fled ingloriously through Courtland and for eight miles beyond to Town Creek, on the banks of which General Roddey succeeded in reforming such portion of his command as had not taken advantage of their two successive defeats to go home and spend christmas with their families. Colonel Prosser's attack was so vigorous that my force on the Brown's Ferry road, having several miles the longer distance to march, and in an unknown country, did not have time the longer distance to march, an in an unknown country, did not have time or each the flank or rear of the enemy. Forty-five prisoners were captured in this affair, including 3 commissioned officers; the enemy also lost 1 man killed and 2 wounded. Colonel Prosser's loss was 1 man wounded. It appeared that Patterson's (so called) brigade, of Roddey's command, having crossed at Bainbridge, had come up the preceding evening to Pond Spring to re-enforce Roddey, and constituted, with eh balance of Windes' regiment, the force in our front on this day.

Being now within half a day's march of Bainbridge, where I knew the whole of Forrest's cavalry had but just crossed the river, it was necessary to advance with more caution. We reached Leighton, however, thirteen miles west of Courtland, by 1 p. m. of the next day, Friday, December 30, having skirmished nearly all the way with flying parties of Roddey's cavalry, who attempted to delay us by burning a bridge over Town Creek, on the Bainbridge Road, and by some show of holding the ford of the same stream on the main Tuscumbia Road. Most of the latter force drifted in squads southward toward the mountains, the remainder, with General Roddey, taking the roads to Tuscumbia and Florence. Toward dark a new force appeared in our front on the Tuscumbia Road, believed to be Armstrong's brigaded which I afterward learned definitely had been sent back by Forrest from Barton Station to re-enforce Roddey and protect General hood's trains. At Leighton I learned that Hood had commenced crossing the river at Bainbridge on Sunday morning and finished on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, and that the entire pontoon train of 200 wagons had passed through Leighton on thursday and camped at La Grange the same night, and that it was bound for Columbus, Miss., with a comparatively small guard. Roddey's so-called division of cavalry had apparently been relied upon to prevent any advance of our