sent to Arkansas. The general commanding desires you will hold your command well prepared to co-operate with any movement that may be made in the direction of the Arkansas Valley.

I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

W. R. BOGGS,

Brigadier-General and Chief of Staff.

HEADQUARTERS TRANS-MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT,
Shreveport, May 19, 1864.

Major-General MAGRUDER,

Commanding, & c.:

GENERAL: General Smith directs that you will strengthen General McCulloch to the utmost extent your disposable force will admit. That you will instruct Brigadier-General McCulloch to prepare every man that he can make disposable for active operations, in order to enable him to re-enforce or co-operate with Brigadier-General Maxey, should circumstances require it. The enemy having evacuated Alexandria, so soon as the Red River Valley, is clear of him the general commanding proposes to make an active campaign toward the Arkansas Valley.

General Maxey has been directed to hold himself in readiness to co-operate by an advance toward Fort Smith.

I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

W. T. BOGGS,

Brigadier-General and Chief of Staff.

HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF WEST LOUISIANA,
In the Field, May 20, 1864.

Governor H. W. ALLEN,

Shreveport, La.:

GOVERNOR: I would respectfully call your attention to the following extract from a letter of Colonel Bush, commanding Fourth Louisiana Cavalry, who has been operating with his regiment in the Attakapas country:

With reference to purging the country of jayhawkers I ordered Captain Hargooder with 60 armed and 40 unarmed men to scour the country and carry out your orders to the letter. He left camp yesterday with written instructions framed upon those given to me, and I am confident will fulfill his mission as directed. On this point it is proper for me to state that some confusion and perhaps conflict may arise from the fact that the State Guard, which left this place this morning, and the home guard, which are leaving to-morrow morning, and Captain Hargooder, now en route, are, as I understand their purposes, aiming at the same end, but without concert or unity of action. I must respectfully represent the urgent necessity of placing the whole under the control and guidance of some one who can control and direct them systematically.

As there are none of the enemy's troops in that portion of the State, which has been greatly infested with jayhawkers, I had intended to use the Fourth Regiment of Cavalry for the purpose of ridding the country south of Rapides of these outlaws and arresting and returning to their commands all deserters [that] could be found. If, however, you have ordered the State Guard on that duty it will not be necessary to keep Colonel Bush in that section, and I can use his regiment to advantage elsewhere. I would therefore be glad if you would inform me if the disposition referred to of the State Guard