that the enemy were about to move against him, could only spare Major Ham's battalion.

Colonel Richardson was unwell, and the force thus raised, which amounted to only 270 men, were placed under command of Colonel J. J. Neely. He reached the railroad near Middleton on the morning of the 4th, and found no enemy there. He destroyed three trestles, about 800 yards of track and telegraph wire, burned the depot and the stockade and the winter quarters of the troops.

It was a part of my plan to have made Major Blythe burn the watertank at White's Station, within 9 miles of Memphis, on the night that I encamped at Anderson's, and for this purpose I ordered him to meet me at Looxahoma with his command on the night of the 1st, but he failed to do so, and, I am informed, says he will not obey my orders, although notified that I have been placed by General Lee in command of all the cavalry in North Mississippi. I have already reported that this command, if allowed to continue its independent action, would greatly demoralize my cavalry, and I now state that he is keeping a large number of men out of the regular service who are conscripts, and who would make good soldiers if properly organized.

If all the men were actuated by patriotism and a fixed determination to do a soldier's duty, these independent partisan organizations might be very serviceable; but when such organizations are made the receptacle of men seeking to avoid conscription merely, and who serve only when it suits their convenience, and who boast of their privileges in the presence of regular cavalry, they become essentially hurtful, and, furthermore, they often degenerate into mere bands of robbers, who steal indiscriminately from both friend and foe.

My thanks are due to Colonels Slemons and McCulloch for the able manner in which they handled their brigades, and refer to their reports for the action of their commands.

Inclosed please find a list of killed and wounded.

I am, colonel, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JAMES R. CHALMERS,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.

Colonel B. S. EWELL,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

[Inclosure.]

Return of Casualties in Chalmers' command in the action at Collierville, Tennessee, November 3, 1863.

Killed Wounded

Officer Men Officer Men Aggregate

s s

McCulloch's brigade: --- --- 1 12 13

1st Mississippi

Partisan Rangers

1st Mississippi --- 1 2 3 6

Battalion

2nd Missouri Cavalry --- --- 2 7 9

Slemons' brigade: 3rd --- 1 3 19 23

Mississippi State

Cavalry

George's regiment --- 4 --- 14 18

[5th Mississippi

Cavalry]

Total killed and --- 6 8 55 69

wounded

Missing --- --- --- --- 26

Grand total --- --- --- --- 95