[Inclosure Numbers 20.]

ALEXANDRIA, August 13, 1864.

General E. K. SMITH,

Commanding Trans-Mississippi Department, Shreveport:

GENERAL: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 11th instant at this place to-day. In reply to your remarks in reference to crossing troops over the Mississippi River, I have to say that I have been unfortunate in my manner of expression if I have not in my previous correspondence satisfied you as to my appreciation of the importance of such a movement and of the promptness with which it should be executed. I beg to add, however, that the plan suggested in my letter of the 8th instant for effecting such an end, to which you refer as "submitted and approved by me," emanated from Lieutenant-Colonel Douglas, an officer of your staff and chief engineer of the department. I have never been in a position to become acquainted with the resources of the entire department, and if those resources are inadequate to the execution of the plan of the chief engineer, who certainly had the best means of knowing them, the fault that the plan is "impracticable and visionary" should not be attributed to me. I trust that my professional career since I have held a command in this department will show that my military plans have generally letter of July 31 the whole disposable force of the district was placed under my control through General Walker, its commander. By that letter I understood myself to be placed in command of the infantry only of my former command, and I learned from Major-General Walker that he had received orders to assist and confer with me. Major-General Walker has extended me his cordial co-operation, but the whole disposable force of the district was certainly not placed under my control. In reference to your suggestion for covering the point selected for crossing by cavalry and artillery, I beg to say that my experience in engaging the enemy's gun-boats has shown me the futility of attempting to prevent their passing any batteries we might be able to place upon the bank. The proposition that gun-boat can pass batteries in navigable streams has been, I think, incontestably proven by experience, and especially on the Mississippi River, which is almost an inland sea. In general, a diversion should be made to cover the crossing of an ordinary stream in the face of the enemy. It would be more necessary, therefore, in crossing the Mississippi, and a plan based upon this recognized proposition would eminently justify sending the cavalry on a "distant expedition." Your letter of July 31 authorized me to send officers of my staff east of the Mississippi, but it was not until the evening of the 7th instant that I received an answer indicating which officers of my former staff you would permit to remain with me. There was not a moment's delay in sending them, as almost the whole of my former command was ordered east of the Mississippi. I fail to appreciate the liberality which permitted a portion of the staff long connected with that command to accompany it, and in this connection I would observe that the orders of General Bragg to me were issued on of West Louisiana whereas I had been for some weeks removed, even from the theater of their operations. My correspondence with your headquarters since you have commanded this department will show that it has been my constant endeavor to delocalize the operations of the troops under my command, and so to conduct their movements as