It was part of the plan concluded upon that I should cross the Arkansas River about the 20th of August with the troops under my immediate command, but from delay in receiving the necessary ordnance stores I was unable to do so. Finally the required complement was received on the 27th, and on the 28th of August I was relieved from the command of the District of Arkansas, crossed the Ouachita River and on the 29th arrived at Princeton, where the divisions of Fagan and Marmaduke were, and assumed command of all the cavalry in the District of Arkansas, according to the instructions of General E. Kirby Smith above referred to. In the meantime, owing to the delay in starting, I was of the opinion that the enemy had become informed of my intended line of march, and I concluded that I would cross the Arkansas River at the most feasible point north of Little Rock and south of Fort Smith, taking into consideration the probable means of obtaining forage and subsistence.

On the 30th I accordingly took up my line of march in the direction of Little Rock and arrived that afternoon at Tulip, a distance of nine miles. Colonel Harrison's brigade had not yet arrived, but as I could no longer delay I left instructions at Princeton directing him if he should arrive there within three days to follow on and form a junction with me, giving him information of the route I should travel; but in case he did not reach that place within that time that he should then report to the commanding general of the District of Arkansas. Colonel Harrison did not take part in the expedition. On the morning of the 31st I resumed my line of march in the same direction as on the previous day, and continued on the same until I arrived within seven miles of Benton, when I diverged to the left, taking a northwest direction, sending Major-General Fagan across the Saline River to make a demonstration toward Little Rock and at the same time protect my right flank. On the 5th of September he rejoined me, bringing up the rear.

I reached Dardanelle on the 6th day of September. The country through which I had passed was hilly and in some parts mountainous, sparsely settled, but plenty of forage and subsistence had been obtained. The Arkansas River being fordable at this point, on the 7th I crossed it with the command and train and marched to Dover, a distance of fourteen miles. Major-General Marmaduke with his division and a portion of his train had already crossed it before my arrival, thus covering the crossing of the remaining portion of the army.

At Princeton verbal and written communications had been sent to Brigadier-General Shelby apprising him of the change of route and directing him to form a junction with me at Batesville, but up to this time had received no information from him of his movements or position. I resumed my line of march in the direction of the last-mentioned place, Major-General Fagan, with his command, marching along the Spring-field road, and Major-General Marmaduke's headquarters and train on the Clinton road, marching by separate roads on account of the scarcity of forage and for the purpose of ridding that section of the country of deserters and Federal jayhawkers, as they are termed-i.e., robbers and murderers-with which that country is infested. These bands, however, dispersed and took refuge in the mountains at the approach of the army, although several of them were killed and a small number taken prisoners. On arriving at Little Red River on the 10th, still without information of the position or movements of General Shelby, I dispatched an officer of known skill and daring to communicate with him, directing that he should unite himself with the rest of the command at once.