of thirty-seven at Bluff Springs, and fifty at Williams', on the Claiborne road; about 3,000 men at Blakely and a regiment of cavalry at Greenwood scouting to Perdido Mills. Two bridges are completed across the Perdido, and a third constructing. There is no force of any account at Greenville or Montgomery. Lieutenant-Colonel Spurling, Second Maine Cavalry, reports a picket of fifteen men at Milton, Fla., as the only force on that side of the Escambia River, March 6. He reports only 2,000 men at Pollard with three pieces of artillery. The enemy is building stockades at al the bridges on the railroad between Tensas Landing and Greenville. Colonel S. gives a practicable route to Pollard to land two miles below Milton on the opposite side of the river at Creigler's Mills, and march from there by way of Andalusia, Ala. Roads are good, with no bridges to cross. George W. Mader makes an additional statement that in his opinion the best place to invest Mobile is to send a force from Cedar Point to the rear of the city to blockade Mobile River, and another column to Blakely, capturing that place, which has only an abandoned fort with no guns mounted, thus cutting off all supplies from the city to the eastern defenses, which have only a limited supply. There is a short route between Tensas and Mobile rivers by way of Raft River, four miles above Blakely. Lieutenant Chamberlin's report from Vidalia, March 6, states that Colonel Purvis with his regiment left Harrisonburg for Monroe, La., three weeks since, leaving only fifty men at Harrisonburg under Major McCall. Guerrillas infest the country between Vidalia, Trinity, Harrisonburg, and Monroe, La. A copy of a report* from M. P. Hunnicutt, scout, is forwarded herewith, which I respectfully request be returned to this office to be forwarded to Captain Eaton, chief signal officer, Military Division of West Mississippi.

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

A. M. JACKSON,

Major, Tenth U. S. Colored Heavy Artillery.

(In absence of Captain S. M. Eaton.)

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF,
New Orleans, March 11, 1865.

Lieutenant Colonel C. T. CHRISTENSEN,

Asst. Adjt. General, Army and Division of West Mississippi:

COLONEL: I have the honor to inform you that Brigadier General J. Bailey has been ordered by telegraph to report to Major-General Canby at Fort Gaines, Ala., as directed in your communication of the 8th instant.

Your obedient servant,

S. A. HURLBUT,

Major-General, Commanding.

HDQRS. ARMY AND DIVISION OF WEST MISSISSIPPI,
Fort Gaines, Ala., March 11, 1865.

Major General S. A. HURLBUT,

Commanding Department of the Gulf, New Orleans, La.:

GENERAL: By this conveyance General Granger sends Captain Sargent, of his staff, to New Orleans for the purpose of expediting the

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*Not found.

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57 R R-VOL XLIX, PT I