SPRINGFIELD, Mo., February 16, 1864.

Major O. D. GREENE,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

General Holland returned from Arkansas last evening; his official report will be forwarded soon. Colonel Freeman, Colonel Love, and Major Gunning's command are now at Bennett's River, or between Salem and Bennett's River, in Fulton County, and numbering from 600 to 1,000 men. I have to have the horses shod and the men clothed, and I can then send a force in that direction. I now have forces at Yellville, Rolling Prairie, and Berryville. There are from 1,000 to 1,500 rebels all told north of the Arkansas River. Fully 200 rebels have been killed in Northwestern Arkansas in the past four weeks by my command. We captured one or two mails, containing many letters to people in Missouri; from these it would seem that a raid had been contemplated.

JOHN B. SANBORN,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo., February 16, 1864.

Major O. D. GREENE,

Assistant Adjutant-General, Saint Louis, Mo.:

Sergeant Wells, who commanded detachment sent to arrest men of the Eleventh, says under oath, among other things, that when he arrived at the cap of the Eleventh Missouri Cavalry, 1 mile beyond Buffalo, he showed Major Brown, commanding, the order to arrest the men; that, after conferring with the officers, the adjutant was ordered to arrest the men and send them up to headquarters, and they were brought up and put in his (the sergeant's) charge; that Major Brown then told him (the sergeant) that the men would have to go and change their public horses for private horses to ride back; that he (the sergeant) then placed a guard, 1 man, over each of the prisoners, and gave them permission to go and get horses; that soon the guard came back to him and reported that the prisoners had been released by the men, and that the men had drawn their revolvers and swore they would shoot them if they attempted to take the prisoners away; that he immediately reported these facts to Major Brown, who answered, "I can't help that; I can't help that," repeating it; that he then asked Major Brown what he should do about it, and the major made no reply, but rode rapidly away; that during all this time there was great confusion in camp, the men and the least one officer, whom the sergeant did not know,swearing that the prisoners should not come back, and laughed and jeered at the detachment.

The foregoing is the substance of the sergeant's statement, verbatim as far as copied. Major Brown has been in this district but a short time, and I am surprised at this conduct both as to him and the battalion. When I made the indorsement on Lieutenant Scarlett's case I would not have believed that such conduct could have taken place. I am willing to retract my indorsement on Scarlett's case, and conclude that no officer of the battalion is really suited to or fit for the service if he stood by and silently allowed such an occurrence.

JOHN B. SANBORN,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.