MAY 27, 1865. -Skirmish at Switzler's Mill, Chariton County, Mo.

Report of Colonel Alexander F. Denny, Sixty-second Missouri Militia.

GLASGOW, May 28, 1865.

Lieutenant Wright, of Captain Denny's company of Roanoke Missouri Militia, had a skirmish with some of Rider's guerrillas yesterday morning at 3 o'clock, at Switzler's Mill, in Chariton County. He had them surrounded and forced a part of them into the mill pond, one of whom, Notes, of Chariton County, was drowned; one other supposed to be wounded. In the darkness the rest escaped. The lieutenant captured one horse and several pistols. No loss on our side.

A. F. DENNY,

Colonel.

Brigadier-General PRATT.

MAY 29, 1865-NOVEMBER 14, 1866. -Operations in Texas and on the Rio Grande.

Report of Major General Philip H. Sheridan, U. S. Army.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF,
New Orleans, La., November 14, 1866.

GENERAL: In compliance with letter of instructions, dated October 4, 1866, I have the honor to make the following report of operations within the limits of my command since the 29th of May, 1865:

On 17th of May, 1865, I was relieved from command of the Middle Military Division and assigned to the command of all the territory west of the Mississippi and south of the Arkansas Rivers, with directions to report to Lieutenant-General Grant for instructions. This territory embraced at that time within its limits the only organized rebel army left in the Confederacy, which was under the command of the rebel General E. Kirby Smith, with headquarters at Shreveport, or vicinity, in the State of Louisiana. My instructions from the lieutenant-general were to operate against this command, to break it up or destroy it. For this purpose I was authorized to draw from Major General J. J. Reynolds, commanding Department of Arkansas, 12,000 men, and from Major General E. R. S. Canby, commanding the Military Division of West Mississippi, 25,000 men; together with the Fourth and Twenty-fifth Army Corps and a column of from 8,000 to 9,000 cavalry to be collected from Louisiana, West Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. The aggregate strength of this force was about 80,000 men.

On the 29th of May I assumed control of this new command, designating it the Military Division of the Southwest, with headquarters at New Orleans, La. ; and, at about the same time, received intelligence of the surrender of E. Kirby Smith, through commissioners sent from him to Major-General Canby. This surrender was made, but bore upon its face double dealing on the part of rebel commander, or his agents, as the Texas troops had declined to surrender, and had disbanded to their homes, destroying magazines and carrying with them arms and ammunition from the different arsenals. General Smith proceeded to Galveston, and from thence escaped to Mexico, in violation of the agreement he had bound himself to observe. This conduct on his part may have arisen from the fact that it could not be concealed that his real object in offering to surrender was to get security for the Arkansas,