Numbers 13. Reports of Colonel William E. McLean, Forty-third Indiana Infantry, commanding Second Brigade, of operations April 2-20.

HEADQUARTERS SECOND BRIGADE, THIRD DIVISION,
Camp Numbers 11, near Elkin's Ford, Ark., April 6, 1864.

SIR: I have the honor to submit herewith the following report of the operations of the brigade under my command from the time of its arrival at Elkin's Ford on the Little Missouri River to this date, embracing the engagements of the 3rd and 4th instant at that place with two brigades from Marmaduke's division, under command of Generals Cabell and Greene. Having been notified by Brigadier-General Salomon on the afternoon of the 2nd instant, while upon the march from Spoonville, of the importance of taking and holding Elkin's Ford, I made a forced march with my command, crossing the river after dark, preceded by a squadron of cavalry sent forward as advance pickets. One regiment of my brigade (the Seventy-seventh Ohio Infantry, Colonel William b. Mason commanding), and one section of artillery from my battery, were detached after leaving Okolona by order of Major-General Steele to support the cavalry, supposed at that time to be engaging the enemy at Antoine. The remainder of my forces, consisting of the Thirty-sixth Iowa Infantry, Colonel C. W. Kittredge commanding; Forty-third Indiana Infantry, Major W. W. Norris commanding, and Battery E, Second Missouri Light Artillery, Lieutenant Peetz commanding, encamped near the bank of the river. The day after my arrival occasional firing along our picket-lines and skirmishing in front convinced me that the enemy were on the alert, either for the purpose of watching the movements of the army, of which my brigade constituted the advance, or if possible, by a direct attack upon me in overpowering numbers, to cut me off before re-enforcements could be obtained from across the river.

Early on the morning of the 3rd instant I ordered Major Norris, Forty-third Indiana, to proceed with four companies of that regiment to the front to reconnoiter the position of the enemy, deploy the men as skirmishers, and support the cavalry pickets. He soon succeeded in discovering the position of the advanced pickets and skirmishers of the enemy, drove them back for some distance, pressing them so closely that, the retreat of a number of them being cut off, 16 came into our lines and surrendered. On the same evening, being satisfied that the enemy were in our front in force and designed attacking us during the night or early in the morning, I ordered Lieutenant-Colonel Drake, Thirty-sixth Iowa, to proceed with three companies from that regiment and three from the Forty-third Indiana to a position on the main road leading from the front immediately in our front, to deploy his men on the right and left of the road, watch the movements of the enemy, and resist their approach as long as was prudent, and retire to the reserve when they approached in force. One section of artillery, under Lieutenant Peetz, was planted so as to fully command the road and the leading approaches on our right and left.

At 6 o'clock on the morning of the 4th, the enemy approached on force and commenced an attack on the advanced companies of Lieutenant-Colonel Drake, who resisted them gallantly for near two hours,

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