FEBRUARY 7, 1864.-Affair at the mouth of Caney Bayou, Tex.

Report of Brigadier General Hamilton P. Bee, C. S. Army.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY IN THE FIELD,
Ewing's Plantation, February 7, 1864.

SIR: I have the honor to report that the enemy fired sixty-six shots at the fort at the mouth of Caney with great accuracy, wounding 3 men and 3 horses. The command behaved with great coolness. When an official report is made I will forward a copy for the information of the major-general commanding.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

H. P. BEE,

Brigadier-General.

Brigadier-General SLAUGHTER, Chief of Staff.

FEBRUARY 7, 1864.-Skirmish at Vidalia, La.

Report of Lieutenant Colonel Hubert A. McCaleb, Second Mississippi Heavy Artillery, African Descent.

HDQRS. 2nd MISSISSIPPI ARTILLERY AFRICAN DESCENT,
Natchez, Miss., February 9, 1864.

LIEUTENANT: I most respectfully submit the following as a correct account of the action of my command, in pursuance to your order of the 7th instant, which was received by me at 2.30 p. m.of same date:

You will get your command in readiness and cross the river by the first boat to Vidalia, La., and report to Colonel Farrar, who is being pressed by overwhelming numbers of the enemy.

Upon received the order, I at once formed a line of every able bodied man in camp, and leaving instructions with the senior convalescent officer to detail a camp guard from the convalescents, I started on double-quick to the landing with seven companies, numbering in all 432 men. To account clearly for the remainder of my command I will call your attention to orders issued by you some time since, detaching one company (A), under command of Captain james T. Organ, as mounted scouts for the post of Vidalia, and one battalion (Third) of our companies, under Major George D. Reynolds, to take charge of the siege guns in the fortifications surrounding Camp McPherson. This latter battalion being not armed with small-arms, I deemed it prudent to let them remain at Camp McPherson, although ot officers and men begged eagerly for permission to accompany me.

On arriving at the landing I was met by Colonel Kent, who ordered me to embark with my command on the steamer Diligent as quickly as possible, which was done at the double-quick, and at the tap of the bell the lines were unfastened and we were sailing to help our comrades at Vidalia. At the landing on the Louisiana shore there was an orderly with orders from Colonel Farrar to form my line of battle in front of the levee and await further orders; this was soon done, and soon an order came from Colonel Farrar to move out on the Trinity road 150 yards and form a new line, with one battalion of three companies on the right, under command of Major Charles W. Smith, the other of four companies on the left of the road, commanded by myself, to support the section of artillery planted directly in the road, with an interval between of sufficient space to work the artillery.

9 R R-VOL XXXIV, PT I