October 25.- A detachment numbering 200 men, under command of Major Snelling, Tenth Illinois Cavalry, went our on scout in the vicinity of Cotton Plant, Ark.

October 29.- A detachment left in command of Lieutenant Colonel John P. Knight, Ninth Iowa Cavalry, consisting of 500 men, as escort to officers to Fort Smith, Ark.

Numbers 9. Report of Major George T. Snelling, Tenth Illinois Cavalry.

HEADQUARTERS TENTH ILLINOIS CAVALRY,
Brownsville, Ark., November 3, 1863.

SIR: I have the honor to report that on the evening of the 25th of October I was sent for to come to your headquarters, that General West wanted to see me. I reported to General West, being informed by him that I was to take command of a scout that was ordered from our brigade (200 cavalry), with ten days' rations; that I would proceed to White River; there, I would meet a boat sent by General Andrews to cross me over the river; then I would proceed to Madison, on Saint Francis River if I thought prudent to go that far, as the scout was not deemed a military scout, but rather a political scout; that Doctor Fryrear would accompany me as a guide and that there would be an election held in Madison to see if there were any Union men in that locality or not, and that I would return by the way of Cotton Plant if I thought it prudent to do so; that there would be no force in that country to oppose me but some small bushwhacking parties, and [to] rout them, bring in all the horses and mules and cattle that I could find. I started at 8 o'clock on the morning of the 26th from Brownsville. Arrived at the Bluffs at 4 p. m. Reported to General Andrews, stating to him my orders from General West. He then ordered me to cross White River at daylight the next morning, that he would give me seventy-five men of the Ninth Kansas and that I would proceed direct to Cotton Plant, moving out some twelve miles that day; the next morning move early to Cotton Plant, allowing no news to get ahead of me if possible; remain in Cotton Plant one day, scouring the country in that locality bringing in all the stock there was in that part of the country and all negro men I could get, and return on the 1st day of November to Devall's Bluff. And on the morning of the 27th I moved at daylight, crossed my command, 200 of the Tenth Illinois Cavalry, seventy-five of the Ninth Kansas, with five days' rations; moved out sixteen miles and camped on the farm of one Mr. Templeton, twelve miles from Cotton Plant. The next morning moved at 4 a. m., crossed Cache River, the Ninth Kansas in the advance, with a lieutenant with twenty-five men as advance guard. Moved on to Cotton Plant, taking all male citizens, prisoners, sending them to be rear. After arriving at Cotton Plant, finding no force in the place, having completely surprised the citizens, I sent Captain Flesher with seventy-five men out north of Cotton Plant; I, taking fifty men, went out south of Cotton Plant, scouring the country of all horses and mules, burning two houses, taking 3 deserters from our army, 1 from the Twelfth Michigan, 2 from the Eleventh Missouri Cavalry, taking a number of arms from the citizens. One of the houses burned by me was the house of a noted bushwhacker by the name of Simpson, keeping a gang of blood-