C and D show the transportation on hand at Lebanon, and the necessity for it. At the other posts the same reasons were assigned for retaining all their transportation.

I remain, colonel, very respectfully,

L. C. HUNT,

Brigadier-General and Inspector.

[Indorsement.]

HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES,
In the Field, Culpeper Court-House, Va., May 2, 1864.

Respectfully referred to Major General H. W. Halleck, Chief of Staff, and commended to his attention.

U. S. GRANT,

Lieutenant-General.

[Inclosure A.]

HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF SOUTHWEST MISSOURI,
Springfield, Mo., April 19, 1864.

Brigadier-General HUNT,

U. S. Volunteers:

I have the honor to submit the following general statement of the military operations and results in this district since I assumed command, and my personal views of the present situation and military necessities. On the 24th of October, 1863, the date I assumed command, the forces of the rebel General Shelby were just leaving the State, and the whole country was overcome with marauding bands, attacking small squads of soldiers and killing some, as well as peaceful citizens. All these bands and marauders were driven south by the 1st day of January, 1864, and have appeared in the Missouri portion of the district in but three or four instances since.

Immediately upon those bands returning south I sent forward 1,000 men into the two northern tiers of counties in Arkansas, and attacked and drove them below Buffalo Fork of White River. These troops have had fights and skirmishes with these rebels almost daily, and the number of them killed, according to the official information that has come to headquarters, has been about 200 per month, while my losses have not averaged over 5 per month, and the whole number of citizens killed by the guerrillas has not exceeded 6 during the whole time.

The effect of these bands infesting the country upon the loyal, productive, agricultural population is to induce them all to retire to the rear of the military posts, and this population can be induced to remain upon their farms only by an advance of these posts. The line of loyal population had receded to within about 16 miles of Springfield and the mail-line road to Rolla, when I took command, and was still fast receding.

To check this evil, I advanced the military posts south from Lebanon to Huntsville, 35 miles; from Ozark to Forsyth, 35 miles, and from Cassville to Berryville, 35 miles, and have kept a force of 1,000 men in active service from 50 to 75 miles in front of these posts, attacking and breaking the large bodies of rebels and guerrillas, which, at times, reach 700 or 800 men. There has been a great scarcity of forage in the Missouri portion of the district, owing to two causes, viz, the small amount of land put in crop last year and the light crop raised when the land was cultivated by reason of extreme wet. The quartermaster neglected to secure any hay, which