he had halted at dardanelle or Lewisburg; and, worse that all nothing could be obtained for men and horses where I was, and I was unwilling to risk my command to be attacked when one part could not succor the other, so I recalled those I had sent over, and the next morning (14th) marched southward 15 miles, and am mow on my way higher up to cross, which I expect to do, Providence permitting, in two days. I am sure Thayer's division has gone to Fort Smith. They had artillery and a few negroes with them, You will hear from again shortly.

Very respectfully,

JO. O. SHELBY,

Brigadier-General, Commanding Expedition.

Lieutenant Colonel J. F. BELTON,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS SHELBY'S BRIGADE,
May 31, 1864.

After my last communication to your from the neighborhood of Clarksville, Ark., I pushed on rapidly to White River, across the Boston Mountain by way of Clinton and Raggsville. The roads were horribly rough, rugged, and entirely destitute of forage and subsistence,, being infested by swarms of innumerable robbers and Federal jayhawkers and guerrillas. Sending out constant and truly scouting parties under tried leaders, I taught them a stern and bitter lesson, not soon to be forgotten, and drove them far into their mountain recesses, with the loss of many killed, some of them their most notorious leaders.

As you are aware, my command for fifty days before it left on this expedition had been in constant and severe service. The horses were mostly unshod and weak, and the artillery animals greatly reduced on the march from the Ouachita to this place, over the worst roads in the would . A great many gave out by the wayside; horses fell dead in the artillery traces; the miserable mules furnished by too economical quartermasters for my ordnance train died from sheer exhaustion, and the carry, ramshackle wagons wheezed out a miserable existence where the general shadows of the gloomy motions told of desolation and despair. Twice the iron axle of one of my rifled broke clear in two I was forced to haul it in one of the wagons; but by hard work and hard marching White River was safely reached and crossed 12 miles above Batesville may 26. six days before my arrival the Federal garrison at this town, consisting of the First Nebraska Cavalry, Eleventh Missouri Cavalry, and the renegade Baxter's crew of Confederate deserters, had gone to Jacksonport, taking with them some 200 refugee families. I intended to march immediately upon this town, but they, hearing of my approach, made a hasty embarkation upon seven transports, convoyed by a mosquito gun-boat (the Naumkeag), and hurried away down the river. Runing aground on Reed's Bar, at Grand Glaise, they were forced to unload before getting over. Learning this I determined to overtake them if possible, and leaving Batesville at 2 o'clock in the evening, and marching all night, reached Grand Glaise about sunrise, but the boats were gone several hours before, and my long ride (over 30 miles) must go for naught.