Decatur and Stevenson. To do this it became necessary for me to move a portion of my troops from Cherokee and vicinity. I had already received orders from General Beauregard to rebuild the railroad from Cherokee to Tuscumbia, and one regiment of my command had been employed on this work before General Hood arrived in the district.

On the 5th instant I was again directed by General Hood to destroy the Memphis and Charleston Railroad to Stevenson, and the Nashville and Chattanooga road from Stevenson to Murfreesborough, Tenn. To carry out these instructions I have been compelled to withdraw such of my troops as were stationed in the vicinity of Corinth and at Grand Junction and transfer them to the new field of operations, which is being done as rapidly as possible, in view of the great extent of territory over which they had been distributed.

I have already two regiments and a battalion beyond Decatur watching the movements of a considerable force of the enemy which appeared at Paint Rock Station, on the Memphis and Charles Railroad, about the 5th instant, my object being to hold them in check until the remainder of my troops can be brought up. As soon as this is done I shall endeavor to drive this force from the line of the railroad and complete its destruction, as directed by General Hood. From the best information I can obtain the enemy is endeavoring to hold the road from Paint Rock to Stevenson, a distance of about fifty miles, with a force made up of the troops recently employed to garrison Decatur, Huntsville, Cowan's Station, and Decherd, and a small force from Chattanooga. There are also at least five gun-boats on the river above Decatur. From these, however, I anticipate but little inconvenience. I succeeded on the morning of the 12th instant, after an engagement of less than an hours, in driving back three gun-boats that appeared at Decatur. I had with me at the time only a section of smooth-bore six pounder guns and a few sharpshooters. I shall probably be able to employ guns of heavier caliber and longer range in case another opportunity for engaging them occurs.

Two engines and twenty-eight freight-cars were captured by my troops on the 2nd instant near Huntsville. These are now running between Huntsville, Athens, and Decatur. The repairs on the road between Cherokee and Decatur are bin pushed forward as rapidly as possible, and by the time they are completed I hop to have succeeded in getting the captured engines across the river. Boats suitable for this purpose are now being constructed. General Hood expects to have the road from near Nashville to Pulaski in running order very soon, and every effort will be made by me to have the road from Cherokee to Decatur put in order at once. The railroad iron referred to in your communication as being needed for the repairing of one of the roads near Meridian, cannot now be procured between Tuscumbia and Decatur. It can be taken, however, from the road east of Huntsville, provided the necessity of which you speak still exists. A considerable time must elapse, though, before the iron can be sent from Decatur.

My present purpose is to move from Huntsville on the 20th instant with my whole available force (which, leaving out one regiment to be left at Decatur, is about 1,500 men) on Murfreesborough by the way of Stevenson. In the event of my penetrating as far as Murfreesborough my command will, I presume, be deemed by General Hood as under his orders and subjected to his control. I shall endeavor, however, to keep the lieutenant-general commanding advised of my movements, &c.

Before concluding I desire to call the attention of the department commander to certain matters touching the condition of affairs in portions