Numbers 2. Report of Lieutenant Colonel John W. Stephens, Eleventh Missouri Cavalry, commanding expedition.

HDQRS. DETACH. ELEVENTH CAV., MISSOURI VOLS.,
Batesville, Ark., February 10, 1864.

CAPTAIN: I have the honor to report that, in obedience to a special order issued from the headquarters District of Northeastern Arkansas, dated February 7, 1864, I moved the same day with a detachment of the Eleventh Missouri Cavalry and First Nebraska Cavalry, consisting of 4 officers and 64 men of the Eleventh Missouri Cavalry, and Captain T. J. Majors and 40 men of the First Nebraska Cavalry, together with 8 men of the Fourth Arkansas Infantry, to attack the camp of Colonel Freeman, then supposed to be encamped on the Smithville road, about 25 miles from this point. On my arrival at the point designated, I found that the camp had broken up, and that Colonel Freeman had moved with his command northwardly. I then, upon consultation with Captain Majors, determined to follow him, and attack him wherever I might find him. In accordance with this determination I moved the command through Smithville to a point on Spring River, known as the Widow Marshall's, where I received the first definite information of the whereabouts of the enemy's forces, he having left that point the same day an moved up Spring River westwardly to appoint the same day and moved up Spring River westwardly to a point known as Morgan'a Mill, near the mouth of Martin's Creek. Finding that the men were fatigued, and that my horses were not in a condition to attack his camp that night, I halted the command and encamped.

Early the next morning, the command took up its line of march up both sides of Spring River, the detachment of the First Nebraska Cavalry, under Captain Majors, moving up the south side of the river to a point known as the farm of the Widow Crawford. With the remaining portion of the command, consisting of the Fourth Arkansas Infantry and Eleventh Missouri Cavalry, I moved cautiously up the north side of the river, crossing at Marshall's Ford, Captain Majors being ordered,in case of an attack either by me upon the enemy, or any attack by them upon me, to cross the river at the nearest point and effect a junction as rapidly as possible. About 7 miles from the point at which I started encountered the enemy's pickets, and immediately driven them in. My information previous to this time had led me to believe that the enemy did not number over 200 effective men, but, as it was afterward ascertained, he had been re-enforced during the night by about 300 men under Lieutenant-Colonel Coleman and Colonel Love, making his entire effective force in the neighborhood of 450 men. As soon as I ascertained this factI halted my command, consisting in all of 72 officers and men, and determined to attack the enemy previous to his forming his line of battle. To accomplish this object I ordered the command to take position on a hill which fronted the creek, from which I expected the enemy to debouch; he, however, had anticipated my movements, and had already taken a position on a hill still higher up and immediately in my rear, his front occupying a narrow ridge on both sides of the Salem road, with his flanks extending down the the sloping ravines on my right and left. Observing this disposition of the enemy, and during my temporary absence in another part of the field, Lieutenant Warrington, my acting adjutant, acting under pre-