of the enemy at the landing. True to their bushwhacking mode of warfare the enemy soon fired on them from their concealed positions behind trees and the old buildings on the opposite side of the river. The fire was returned by our skirmishers and cavalry pickets and continued for a short time sharply on both sides, when I ordered one piece of artillery to be placed on the high bluff above the landing in a position to command their camp and the town and the other so as to command the landing and buildings opposite.

At about 7 a. m. we commenced a simultaneous shelling of their camp and the woods on the island above the landing with an occasional round of canister, which soon scattered the astonished rebels in every direction and set them to riding and running in the utmost confusion, and with the assistance of our carbines and long-range rifles soon cleared the opposite shore. The enemy having taken all their boats and skiffs to the opposite shore and concealed them in the creek between the town and the island (as shown in the accompanying diagram*), it was necessary that we should cross the river to destroy them.

Accordingly I set some men to work constructing a raft with such material as we had at our command for the purpose of crossing the river to destroy their boats. The enemy, perceiving our object, gathered in the old buildings opposite and commenced firing on the workmen. I then directed Lieutenant Chandler to shell those buildings, which he did, and they were soon discovered to be on fire, and the flames spread rapidly and consumed that part of the town.

As soon as the raft was completed Captain Allen, of the Fifteenth Kentucky, and 10 men volunteered for the daring feat of crossing the river in search of the boats, and the raft not being large enough to carry more, one brave fellow swam the river to assist them. The party crossed safely to the island, and proceeded under cover of our guns up along the bank of the creek, and found that their boats had just been destroyed and sunk in the creek, all except one large one, which laid near the mouth of the creek partially sunk, but not destroyed. This they tried to raise and bring across, but the fire of the enemy's sharpshooters rendered it too hazardous, and Captain Allen abandoned it, and returned safely with his men to the command. I then ordered one of the guns down to a position below the landing, where the boat could be seen, and a few well-directed shells totally destroyed it. A vigorous fire was kept up on both sides from about 7 a. m. till 12 m., when the well-directed fire of our artillery had driven them from their camp and town to be mountains for safety, and the firing gradually subsided into an irregular skirmish of sharpshooters with long-range guns from concealed positions. This was continued until about 6 o'clock in the evening, when, having completed the destruction of their boats, and having no sufficient means of crossing my command to pursue the enemy further, I withdrew all the command except one company of cavalry and one of infantry (which I left on picket at that place to hold and watch the movements of the enemy) back to our old camp near Matthews' Landing.

All this was accomplished without any loss on our side except one man of the artillery slightly wounded in the foot. The loss of the enemy we could not ascertain definitely, but learned from a citizen who crossed the river the next day that their loss was about 30 killed and wounded, besides their camp and town badly damaged by our shells and about

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*Omitted as unimportant.

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53 R R-VOL XVI