myself on the gun-boat Cricket, Captain Cronin, below Clarendon; have just returned and find your dispatches; shall send again and will have the notices posted as you direct. The beef contractor's report to you is untrue; no cattle have been run off from here by guerrillas, or by anybody else; he has a lot of lean cows and by not taking proper care of them a few broke out in the night, and no notice of it was given to me till they were scattered off, as he said, ten miles distant. I had no means to send out and catch them.

C. C. ANDREWS,

Brigadier-General.

PINE BLUFF, ARK., October 13, 1864.

Major-General STEELE:

I sent Colonel Erskine with 300 cavalry out this morning, with four days' rations, with instructions to move down the prairie on north side of river as far as Arkansas Post and return by the river road, crossing a part of his command at South Bend, so as to scour the country, returning on the south bank of the river. He has also instructions to drive in all the beef-cattle he finds on his line of march. I have also sent Lieutenant Grove with his picked company of scouts out to Mount Elba, with instructions to move down the Saline to Monticello; thence toward the Arkansas River on the South Bend road, crossing Bayou Bartholomew, and returning along the north bank of that stream. He will also be gone four days.

POWELL CLAYTON,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE FRONTIER,
Fort Smith, Ark., October 13, 1864.

Major General H. W. HALLECK,

Chief of Staff:

General Steele communicated with me by sending a cavalry force, which reached me on the 1st instant. It returned to Little Rock, and I am again cut off from communication with him. He may be able to get a train through to me. I do not think it advisable for a train to start yet from Fort Scott. The main force of the enemy under Generals Cooper and Gano is now at Johnson's Station, south of the Canadian. The only thing I have to fear is that if Price is driven out of Missouri, and his army is not broken up or scattered, he may come this way, and, uniting with Cooper and Gano, may attack this place. I trust he will be followed to the Arkansas River with a sufficient force. I will hold out under all circumstances. Major-General Maxey, commanding rebel district of the Indian Territory, has proposed to me an exchange of prisoners. I presume I could effect an exchange of all the prisoners at Tyler, Tex., if the War Department has not already taken measures to effect an exchange. If Price comes up this way I shall concentrate all the troops in the district at this place. I am confident I can hold it against Price's army.

Very respectfully,

JNO. M. THAYER,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.