On arrival at Alexandria, besides the fleet of naval gun-boats under Rear-Admiral Porter, was a fleet of some sixteen transports, with a force of about 8,000 men, infantry and artillery, under command of Brigadier General A. J. Smith. There were also there several transports with commissary and quartermaster's supplies, from the New Orleans depots, from which our command replenished. General Smith's troops, transports, and supplies had come from points above the mouth of Red River and has accompanied the gun-boat fleet up Red River, and was organized almost solely with the view of moving by water alone. The command was scantily provided with land transportation or quartermaster's supplies, clothing, camp and garrison equipage. Its quartermaster's department appeared without much system, General Smith attending personally to all the wants of his command; the division quartermasters had been left behind. General Smith, although reporting to General Banks, seemed prepared to move only on his transports and with the admiral.

Orders were issued to march to Shreveport from Alexandria. The gun-boat fleet and transport fleet, with General Smith's troops, the hospital and supply fleet from New Orleans, and the commanding general and staff left Alexandria for Shreveport, April 3, about seven days after the command of General Franklin marched for the same destination by land. On our march the cavalry and its trains moved a day in advance of the infantry and its trains. Our command reached Natchitoches, 3 miles off from Red River, inland from Grand Ecore, April 2. I had supervision of the infantry trains and supplies only until we arrived at Natchitoches, when the entire land force, cavalry and infantry, moved under the immediate direction of General Franklin. During our stay at Nathcitoches General Banks arrived at Grand Ecore.

The command under General Franklin, with which I moved, left Nathcitoches April 6. It consisted of Lee's cavalry division, the Third and Fourth Divisions, Thirteenth Army Corps, with one brigade of colored troops; its destination Shreveport. The land transportation of this command, and moving with it, under my personal control, consisted of about 900 teams, inclusive of the cavalry train, which, however, moved out with it, and generally one day's march in advance of the infantry column. On the first day's march from Natchitoches everything went on well, with slight skirmishing to our advantage in front.

On the second day's march, that of the 7th April, the order of march was as the day previous, the cavalry and its train in advance, followed by the infantry with its train. The resistance to our progress offered this day by the enemy was greater than that of the day previous, and at night this resistance, with the information received from the front, led to the general belief that we might expect strong opposition to our advance on the morrow. General Banks and staff joined the command about 11 o'clock this night from Grand Ecore.

On the night of the 7th and morning of the 8th April the cavalry and its train pushed on in advance, followed, as usual, by the infantry and train, until about 12 m. of the 8th, when the advance met the enemy in strong position at Sabine Cross-Roads. A division of infantry was then hurried forward to re-enforce and hold our position, but both cavalry and infantry met the enemy with disadvantage and repulse. While these events were taking place most of the cavalry train was halted in the road, in line of march, and well to the front.