burg taken and 200 stand of arms. Can you send force to Henderson?

Order gunboat up the river. Cannot the Governor of Illinois send force to Paducah?

J. T. BOYLE,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.

EVANSVILLE, 18th, 1862.

General STRONG, Cairo:

Send a gunboat to this point, as Henderson, Ky., and Newburg, Ind., are occupied by the rebels. Also have taken possession of the hospitals and have fired into passing steamers conveying troops to the latter place. I have detained the Hornet for the present.

F. H. EBRMAN,

Lieutenant, Assistant Quartermaster and Commanding Post.

JULY 21, 1862.-Skirmishes around Nashville, Tenn.

REPORTS.

Numbers 1.-Brigadier General William Nelson, U. S. Army, commanding at Murfreesborough.

Numbers 2.-Colonel John F. Miller, Twenty-ninth Indiana, commanding at Nashville.

Numbers 3.-Brigadier General Nathan B. Forrest, C. S. Army, including operations July 18-24.

Numbers 1.

Report of Brigadier General William Nelson, U. S. Army, commanding at Murfreesborough.

HEADQUARTERS, Murfreesborough, Tenn., July 24, 1862.

GENERAL: You will have heard that on the 21st instant Forrest went down the Lebanon road to within 5 miles of Nashville and burned a bridge and some trestle work. When this occurred I had only the cavalry companies I picked up at Nashville, Haggard having joined after the damage was done. I determined at once to cut off Forrest's retreat, and gave orders for the cavalry to march to Readyville (see inclosed paper*), and thence to Statesville, and close up to Milton, and I would march with infantry to the point where the Jefferson pike crosses the road from here to Lebanon, 2 miles beyond Stone River, it being my impression that Forrest, having gone by way of Lebanon, would return this way. Twenty minutes before marching a courier came to me from Franklin, bringing a dispatch that Forrest, with 2,500 or 3,000 men, was at Nashville. All sorts of reports came by the courier. I immediately, to save the stores at Nashville, changed the order and sent Haggard with all the cavalry to move rapidly to Nashville and attack the enemy wherever he could find them, telling Colonel Haggard that he would find the enemy scattered, marauding, and having his own men in hand all he had to do was to attack and destroy them as fast as he came to them. I immediately followed with the infantry, and at 10 p. m. was in 10 miles of Nashville. Colonel Harrard sent me several messages with various accounts of the supposed strength of the enemy in front. I answered him in writing to attack-to attack all the time.

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*Not found.

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