wounded, and 3 prisoners, and on our side 1 killed and 19 wounded. Having fallen back to Winn's on the evening of the 5th, orders were received on the 6th of May directing a second advance, which was accordingly made in the afternoon of that day with the same troops. We reached Middle Bayou without material opposition from the enemy, and bivouacked there for the night. The next morning the advance was resumed, and we drove the enemy, fighting all the way, across Bayou Rapides, at Lamothe's Bridge, and to McNutt's Hill. At night I withdrew to Middle Bayou, and having sent back to Beattie's the brigade of the Fourth Division which had come up in the mean time, the remainder of the troops went into camp at the bayou, orders from the headquarters of the department directing that this line should be held with a view of covering our forage train. Major McNeil acting assistant inspector-general on the staff of the rebel General Bee, was killed on this day by Cameron's pickets while reconnoitering our lines. The troops of the corps remained quietly in camp at Middle Bayou, at Beattie's and Winn's until the 13th of May, when orders were received to break camp and march for the Mississippi. The movement of the troops commenced at 3 p.m., the corps and division trains having been sent into Alexandria in the morning, and reported to the quartermaster in charge of the army train. We moved down to Winn's plantation, thence across to the Opelousas road, and then to the Red River, and camped for the night on the right flank and rear of the train, having marched 14 miles.

Early on the 14th of May the Fourth Division, under the command of Colonel F. W. Moore, Eighty-third Ohio (Colonel Landram being too unwell to make the journey by land), moved to the front and reported to Brigadier General A. J. Smith, and was subject to his orders during the day. The original order of march from department headquarters was here changed so far as to permit Smith's command to move in from the Opelousas road and take position in the front. This threw my corps in the rear. We marched at 10 a.m., Cameron's division on the right flank and Keigwin's brigade in the rear of the train. Our march during the day was slow and tedious, and continued until 2 o'clock at night, when orders were received to camp until the train moved on to the front. Keigwin's brigade camped at the Wilson plantation, and Cameron's and Moore's division about 2 miles in the advance. The enemy did not annoy us during the day, but carried on a brisk skirmish with the cavalry in our rear; distance marched about 15 miles.

May 15.-Ordered to march at 7 a.m., but in consequence of the delay in building bridges in front we did not get well under way until 5 o'clock in the afternoon. After rapid marching until 1.30 at night, my troops were halted in the rear of the trains near Marksville, and slept on their arms until 5 a.m. of the 16th, when the march was again resumed. The enemy were supposed to be in position in front, and my orders for the day were to move up and post my command in echelon at the forks of the road, just beyond Marksville, to protect the train and the right flank and rear of the army. Our advance, the Nineteenth Corps, under Brigadier-General Emory, found the enemy in line at Mansura Post-Office. They opened on his lines a very heavy artillery fire, without, however, checking his forward movement, and upon the near approach of his advance they withdrew from the field. At the commencement of the firing I received