hills and took the road leading up Red River. He halted a short time at McNutt's Hill, 12 miles above Alexandria, but soon moved 18 miles farther back to Carroll Jones' with his infantry. Meanwhile Banks with 25,000 men of all arms, drove Vincent up the Teche and joined Smith at Alexandria about March 18. Every exertion was made to hurry up Green's cavalry from texas, but it moved very slowly and did not all reach General Taylor till about April 5. General Liddell was ordered down into the country north and east of Alexandria, between the Red and Ouachita Rivers, to annoy the enemy's transports passing.

On March 21, the enemy came out from Alexandria and surprised the Second Louisiana Cavalry, capturing most of that regiment, together with Edgar's four-gun battery. This force constituted our rear guard. General Taylor then fell rapidly back to the vicinity of Natchitoches. After remaining ten or twelve days in Alexandria Banks moved slowly up in pursuit. He met with no serious resistance till the battle of Mansfield. In Arkansas General Price had his infantry near spring Hill, 15 miles from Washington and 60 from Camden, while the cavalry under General Marmaduke held the line of the Ouachita, scouring the country in front to within 25 miles of Little Rock, where Steele had for some time been preparing for an advance. A brigade of cavalry under General Cabell was posted between Washington and Paraclifta in observation of the enemy, about 5,000 strong, at Fort Smith, and guarding the approaches east of the Arkansas line, while General Maxey, with two brigades of cavalry, watched those leading through the Indian Territory to North Texas.

On March 23, Steele moved out from Little rock with about 8,000 men. On the 21st, Thayler left Fort Smith with about 3,000. They effected a junction at Arkadelphia about the 31st. General Cabell was ordered to General Marmaduke. The cavalry was in two divisions, one under Marmaduke and one under Fagan. General Maxey was ordered with all of his force, except such as was needed to prevent small raids, to hold himself at Laynesport, in the extreme southeast corner of the Indian Territory, so as to support General Price and operate on his left should he be forced back by Steele. Steele's plan was to move by Washington to Red River, cross near Fulton, and destroy the stores and shops at Jefferson and Marshall, taking us in rear while we operated against Banks, or giving the latter an opportunity of getting our communications should we move against Steele. Steele moved very slowly, and cautiously, harassed by our cavalry, who impeded his march at every step. He was about sixteen days moving from Camden to Prairie D'Ane, a distance of about 100 miles. Our object was to delay a general engagement until the two columns of the enemy, or one of them, should approach sufficiently near Shreveport, our point of concentration, to enable us to strike with as much as possible of our force one of the two without abandoning our depots or communications to the other. Our important points were Shreveport, Jefferson, and Marshall-the last a vital point. Accordingly, Price's old division, now divided into Parsons' (Missouri) and Churchill's (Arkansas) divisions, was ordered to Shreveport, where it arrived on the 24th. At this time Banks was at Natchitoches and Steele near Little Rock, in view, both advancing, but Steele making slow progress, our cavalry disputing his advance stubbornly. Besides, he was obliged to haul all of his forage from Little Rock and to guard his trains closely Thus Banks was 98 and Steele 200 miles from Shreveport. Banks