being down and the railroad track having been washed away by the heavy rains, I remained in Rienzi until the evening of the 27th. About 6 o'clock I received the following dispatches, viz:

LAUDERADALE, February 26, 1865.

Colonel PARKHURST, U. S. Army:

Owing to heavy raens and washing of track I have not seen General Taylor. Will do so to-day and telegraph you from Meridian.

N. B. FORREST,

Major-General.

To which telegrams I sent the following reply:

RIENZI, February 27, 1865.

Major General N. B. FORREST, West Point:

Your two telegrams have just been received. I will leave here in the morning, and hope to receive the prisoners at Iuka as early at least as you stated to General Thomas they would by sent.

I left Rienzi on the morning of the 28th of February and came as far as Burnsville and stayed over night, and left Burnsville this morning at 8 o'clock and reached Eastport at 3 o'clock this afternoon.

In going out I found the roads in very good condition, and experienced but little inconvenience from bad roads on my teturn. The rains had washed away one bridge near Rienzi, over the Tuscumbia, which I had rebuilt by men of the escort.

The citizens of the county of Tishomingo are in a very destitute condition, and are all depending upon supplies from the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. Pursuant to the arrangement made, a train of cars loaded with supplies arrived in Rienzi on the morning of the 28th ultimo and proceeded to Corinth. It is expected that supplies will be sent to Burnsville and Iuka in a day or two. The railroad is in running order to Corinth, and the road to Iuka is in good condition, with the exception of the trestle over Yellow Creek, which the citizens were to have repaired to-day.

From such information as I could gather, I am satisfied that Lieutenant-General Taylor's headquarters are at Meridian. Major-General Forrest's headquarters are at West Point. General Jackson has a brigade of calavry at Verona. There are no troops north of Verona, except picket-posts at the railroad stations. There is a; pecket-post at Baldwyn, twenty miles south of Rienzi, and a picket-post of about forty men at Rienzi. The lieutenant in charge of the picket at Rienzi is charged with he scouting service to the front and sends his scouts as near Eastport as he can.

I saw in the telegraph office at Rienzi a dispatch from Lieutenant Phipps to the officer in charge at Verona, reportig information from a scout just in from Eastport, saying that "the enemy has from 6,000 to 8,000 mounted and dismounted cavalry at Eastport." The enemy has no troops at Corinth and none north of Rienzi. General Forrest issued an order while at Rienzi directing Major George, who

has been hanging around Iuka, to report at once with his command to General Roddey's headquarters for orders. I think there is a small force of rebels at Fulton.