his hearty congratulations on your complete success, and desires to commend the sagacity and earnestness which characterized this whole affair. It has added another to the already well-won laulers of the Ninth Cavalry. In the loss of Sergeant Hern the whole command will sympathize with your company and with his afflicted father, who thus has lost the best blood of his household. Allow me, in conclusion, to thank you for the vigor you have so unceasingly shown during the whole period of your stay at Rocheport, and that your management of matters meets with approval at these headquarters.

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

W. T. CLARKE,

Lieutenant, Aide-de-Camp and Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.

FEBRUARY 12, 1865. - Skirmish near Lewisburg, Ark.

Report of Colonel Abraham H. Ryan, Third Arkansas Cavalry (Union).

LEWISBURG, February 13, 1865.

Colonel Witt, with from 60 to 100 men, from direction of Quitman, last night attacked Captain Jeff. Williams, the noted scout, at his residence twenty miles north of this place, killing him. Witt went in direction of Dover. Yesterday rebels were reported in force at Danville. If so, Witt's move may be in conjunction, to enable one of the parties to cross the river. I have sent Captain Carr with seventy men to trail Witt down and prevent any crossing from south side of river.

A. H. RYAN,

Colonel.

Major JOHN LEVERING,

Assistant Adjutant-General, Little Rock.

FEBRUARY 12-20, 1865. - Operations about Forts Riley and Larned, Kans.

Report of Henry D. Janes.

FORT LARNED, KANS., February 20, 1865.

SIR: Pursuant to instructions, dated headquarters District Upper Arkansas, February 12, 1865, I have the honor to make the following report of scouts, &c., for the past ten days:

In accordance with the above instructions, I left For Riley the 12th instant en route for this post, where I arrived the 18th (nothing of importance transpired while on the route), and found everything in a very satisfactory condition, the country north and west and being as thoroughly scouted as practicable with the force employed, the Independent Scouts only being on that duty. There has been only occasionally an Indian or a small band seen in this vicinity, and these I should judge to be only scouts or spies watching the roads. One was seen but a short distance south a few days since by one of the men. Upon this being reported to the command officer he sent out a party of twenty men, who struck a trail of what they judged to be a band of twenty-five, moving west and north. Sergeant Nettleton, with the