of our men prevented pursuit. marmaduke's brigade was the only cavalry with me.

On the evacuation of Camden, General Maxey, with his command, had been ordered back to the Indian country, where the movements of the enemy imperatively demanded his presence. had General Fagan, with his command, thrown himself on the enemy's front on his march from Camden, Steele would have been brought to battle and his command utterly destroyed long before he reached the Saline. I do not mean to censure General Fagan. That gallant officer taking the road to Arkadelphia after the battle of Marks' Mills was one of those accidents which are liable to befall the best of officers. After the battle of Jenkins' Ferry the infantry divisions of Churchill, Parsons, and Walker were marched by the most direct route to Louisiana, with orders to report to General Taylor. the evacuation of Alexandria and the reoccupation of the lower Red River Valley closed the campaign.

I understand that efforts have been made in Richmond to have me relieved from command of the department. I know that facts will be misrepresented and distorted by certain parties in Louisiana who are waging a bitter war against me. I have made a plain statement in advance of my reports that Your Excellency might have the means of judging impartially of pat events.

While I believe that my operations in the late campaign, founded on true military principles, have been productive of at least as great results as would have been achieved by a different course, I do not ask to be retained in command, but will gladly and cheerfully yield to a successor whenever it is deemed the interests of the service require a change.

Respectfully and faithfully, your obedient servant,

E. KIRBY SMITH,

General.

His Excellency JEFFERSON DAVIS,

President Confederate States, Richmond, Va.

SHREVEPORT, LA., August 28, 1864.

SIR: I have the honor to report that the general commanding the department has been sick for the last ten days with an attack of acute dysentery. Being very weak, he directs me to write you as follows:

I was very much surprised at receiving your telegram* informing me that no order was on file directing the infantry of my command to cross the Mississippi River. Your telegram implies that I should have followed the enemy's troops lately operating in this department, and that I was expected to so employ my forces as to prevent him at least from re-enforcing the armies of Grant and Sherman. I beg leave to submit the following resume of events which have transpired since my arrival in this department, as also my plans for the last campaign, and the reasons why I was unable to detain longer the armies opposed to me:

After I reached the department, and before I could become fully acquainted with the character and position of the troops, the operations against Vicksburg and Port Hudson absorbed all my attention. Banks' first raid, in which he overpowered General Taylor at Camp

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*Davis to Chipley, August 8, 1864.

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