who wore blue overcast, and whom he supposed to be Federal cavalry; but upon their approach he discovered that some of the force were not dressed in Federal uniform, whereupon he immediately wheeled his horse and hastily returned to inform Captain Morehouse of their approach. They closely pursued him, and just as he was communicating the intelligence to the captain they rushed upon them, firing a volley upon them. At this time, Captain Morehouse states that he was on his horse, in front of the wagons, the guard being in the wagons. He ordered the men to fall in line, but they jumped from the wagons and scattered into the woods, and he was unable to rally them, and the enemy being upon them, he made his escape as best he could, being satisfied that he could make no defense. The guard were in the wagons and wholly unprepared to repel the attack, and Captain Morehouse was directed by me to obtain the lumber this side of the creek near the mill, in going beyond which he exceeded my instructions. The reason of my not sending a larger guard was that like parties had frequently been sent to the same vicinity, both from my own and other regiments, for the purpose of getting lumber, and no danger was apprehended. Of the party sent out, Captain Morehouse and seven men escaped and returned to camp; twelve men are supposed to have been captured, together with three six-mule teams and four horses. With permission of Colonel Hubbard, I took the regiment out to-day to the place where the party were attacked to reconnoiter, and recovered two of the wagons, which I found in the woods about forty rods from the place where they were captured, in a cavalry camp lately occupied, I should judge, by from 200 to 300 men.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JOHN C. BECHT,

Major, Commanding Regiment.

[First indorsement.]

HEADQUARTERS SECOND BRIGADE, FIRST DIVISION,
DETACHMENT ARMY OF THE TENNESSEE,

Eastport, Miss., January 17, 1865.

Respectfully forwarded.

From the within statement it appears that Captain Morehouse had his men in the wagons at the time he was attacked, a situation certainly very unfavorable in which to make a fight. Had his men been in ranks on the road I believe his twenty muskets would have been sufficient to have repelled the enemy. It also appears that he exceeded his instructions in going so far from camp. My instructions to the command were to allow no foraging parties to venture beyond the creek near Dexter's Mill, about three miles from this point. The practice had been to send from twenty to thirty men with a single wagon, and in no instance but this had more than one wagon been sent out with a single detail; and the pass approved at these headquarters in this case did not authorize the sending of three wagons. Yesterday morning, I directed Major Becht to take his regiment to the point where the affair occurred, to reconnoiter and ascertain if any of his men had been killed or wounded. He found no evidence of any casualties of that character, or indications of an enemy further than he mentions. He recovered and returned to camp with two of the captured wagons.

L. F. HUBBARD,

Colonel, Commanding.