Corps is moving in addition to join Sherman. Since I commenced this letter Lieutenant-General Hardee has come in. I will show him this letter before mailing it to your address.

I remain, General, very respectfully, and truly, yours,

G. W. SMITH,

Major-General, First Division, Georgia Militia.

P. S. - General Hardee has just shown me his orders from Richmond, dated 17th instant, stating that he commands all Georgia south of the Chattahoochee, and directing him to gather convalescents, local troops, &c., to garrison this place.

G. W. S.

In the above I omitted the two regiments of State Lie troops; they joined us the day before we left Lovejoy's. The two together number about 400 muskets.

G. W. S.

NOVEMBER 16-17, 1864. -Expedition from Barrancas to Pine Barren Bridge, Fla.

Report of Lieutenant Colonel Andrew B. Spurling, Second Maine Cavalry, commanding expedition.

CAMP SECOND Maine VETERAN CAVALRY,

Barrancas, Fla., November 18, 1864.

GENERAL: I have the honor respectfully to report that pursuant to orders from headquarters District of West Florida, I left camp at Barrancas, at 12 m. November 17 [16], in charge of all the then available force of the Second Maine Veteran and First Florida Cavalry, amounting in the aggregate to 450 men. After fording the bayou at Gun-boat Point, I marched the force fifteen miles in a northerly direction, and bivouacked a little after dark four miles from the Fifteen Mile House, a point on the railroad leading from Pensacola to Montgomery and distant from Pensacola eleven miles. At 3 o'clock on the following morning the march was resumed on the road running parallel with the railroad. After a march of about three hours, and at sunrise, the advance guard, commanded by Lieutenant Sanders, Company F, First Florida, came upon a rebel picket of three men, surprising and capturing them; at a distance of a mile another picket of four was surprised and captured; and a mile farther on six men, constituting the reserve, were made prisoners, from whom it being ascertained that at 10 o'clock they were to be relieved, the column halted for an hour, and the advance guard was sent forward to intercept and capture the men who were anticipated as the relief. In a short time the men who were coming out to relieve the picket were captured and brought in. The column then moved forward and reached the bridge at Pine Barren Creek. I succeeded without difficulty in capturing the rebel picket on the bridge, not a single shot being exchanged, and without alarming their camp, although it was close by, within twenty rods. The bridge was in very bad condition, having been partly swept a way by the river, much swollen by recent rains. I succeeded, however, in crossing my advance guard mounted, and several squadrons dismounted, without being discovered by the enemy. A sudden dash was made upon the camp; nearly every man was captured, all their equipments, arms, horses, &c. The whole number of prisoners taken was 38; 47 horses, 3 mules, and 75 stand of arms, were captured. Nearly every effective