Armstrong's brigade, which had been sent back by Forrest from Barton Station to re-enforce Roddey and protect Hood's trains at Leighton. I learned that Hood had commenced crossing the river at Bainbridge on Sunday morning, and finished on Tuesday evening, and that they had finished taking up the pontoon on Wednesday morning; also, that the enemy's pontoon train had passed through on Wednesday, and had camped at La Grange, four miles distant, the same night, and that it was bound for Columbus, Miss., with a comparatively small guard. Roddey's so-called cavalry had apparently been relied upon to prevent any advance of our forces until the train could get to a safe distance; but his men had become so demoralized by their successive defeats, from the time my command first advanced from Decatur and captured his artillery, that we could afford to disregard him. I accordingly started from Leighton before daylight on Saturday morning, taking a trail which enabled us to avoid Armstrong's forces and to get to the rear of a portion of Roddey's cavalry at La Grange, where we captured Colonel J. M. Warren, of Tenth Alabama Cavalry, and some other prisoners.

About 1 p.m. we passed through Russellville, where we encountered another portion of Roddey's force, which had just arrived from Tuscumbia, and drove it out on the Tuscalloosa road, while we kept on the Cotton-gin road after the train. Some attempt was made to delay us by burning a bridge over Cedar Creek, but we found a ford of the train, which extended for five miles, and consisted of 78 pontoon train at dark, ten miles beyond Russellville. We met no resistance, and our advance guard charged through to the front of the train, which extended for five miles, and consisted of 78 pontoon-boats and about 200 wagons, with all the necessary accouterments, material, engineering instruments, &c. All the mules and oxen, except what the pontoniers and guards were able to cut the traces of and ride off, were standing hitched to the wagons. Three boats had been set on fire, but, through carelessness, it had gone out. We captured a few prisoners, and went into camp about the center of the town, fed, and then started the entire command out in either direction to burn the train, which occupied till 3 a.m. I should have been glad to bring the pontoon train, which was an exceedingly well appointed one, back to our lines; but the condition of the mules, the mountainous character of the country, and the presence in our rear of a force of the enemy's cavalry, estimated at three times our strength, prevented. I also learned from a negro servant of Captain Cobb, of the engineers, who commanded the train, that a large supply train of General Hood's, bound from Barton Station to Tuscumbia, was ahead.

Early next morning [Sunday] I pushed on through Nauvoo, taking the Aberdeen road, which I knew would flank the train. I sent a detachment from near Bexar across by a trail to head the train on the Cotton-gin road, and another to follow it, and by 10 p.m. had surprised it in camp, a few miles over the line, in Itawamba County, Miss. It consisted of 110 wagons and over 500 mules. We burned the wagons, shot or sobered the mules we could not lead off or use to mount prisoners, and started back. In one of the wagons was a colonel of Hood's army, badly wounded at Franklin, with whom I left a tent, some stores, and one of the prisoners to take care of him. About twenty of the teamsters were colored soldiers captured by Hood at Dalton. These came back with us. We returned, via Toll-gate and the old military and Hacksburg roads, to within twenty miles south of Russellville, when I found that Roddey's force and the so-called brigades of Biffle and Russell were already stationed at Bear Creek and on the Bexar road to retard us, while Armstrong was reported as being in pursuit.

The country was very difficult and rugged, with very few roads or trails, and scarcely any forage; but, with the aid of Union guides in Marion and Winston Counties, we evaded, by a night's march of twenty-three miles, all the forces except Colonel russell's, whom we attacked unexpectedly on the Moulton road, twelve miles beyond Thorn Hill, on Wednesday noon, routing him so utterly that he did not delay our march twenty-minutes, and this only to pick up prisoners and burn his five wagons, including his headquarters wagon, out of which we got all the brigade and other official papers. We had previously captured a mail bound for Tuscaloosa. We then continued, by way of Mount Hope, toward Leighton, but before getting there learned that all other forces had returned to Decatur, to which place we came on last evening. About seventy-five conscripts that Russell was hustling off to Tuscaloosa were released by our attack; also eight Indiana soldiers captured by Russell near Decatur.

The whole distance marched by the command since we left the infantry at Decatur on Wednesday night, until we saw them again last evening, was about 265 miles.

My entire force was less than 600 men, consisting of the Fifteenth Pennsylvania [Anderson] Cavalry, Lieutenant-Colonel Lamborn commanding, and detachments of the Second Tennessee and Tenth, Twelfth, and Thirteenth Indiana Cavalry, commanded by Colonel Prosser. To these officers, and all those under them, much credit is due for dash, energy, and courage, and all the men behaved gallantly and bore up uncomplaingly with very scanty rations, under the severe weather and loss of sleep.