HEADQUARTERS CAVALRY COMMAND,
On North Bank Savannah River, Guerard's House.

December 15, 1864.

Lieutenant HUDSON,

Aide-de-Camp:

LIEUTENANT: I have the honor to report to the major-General commanding the state of the horses under my command. I inclose a general order which I issued this afternoon defining the position of each portion of the troops. Colonel Colcock has since come in and reports that but one of his companies has come from the ferries above the railroad bridge; the other companies have remained, owing to an order from a major claiming to belong to General Bragg's staff, who ordered them to remain to keep up a courier line. Thus Colonel Colcock is now commanding thirty men of the South Carolina reserve troops and 165 Kentuckians of Lewis's brigade, under Major Mynheir; Colonel Bird is commanding my brigade, with an effective force of not exceeding 200 men, and Captain Eve commands 130 men of General Young's brigade. With these 500 men I have a river front to guard of thirty miles, every foot of which is accessible to the enemy in the rice flats they are using upon the river. The consequence is that nearly every man is upon picket duty every day, and no force is left to re-enforce the pickets when they are driven in. If the three companies of Colonel Colcock's regiment, the Third South Carolina, and the Eight and Tenth Confederate Regiments, of my brigade, all of whom are now dismounted and in the trenches around Savannah, could be transferred to this side, the force would be more adequate to the work to be performed. As it is, I dislike very much being responsible for a position such as this, and most earnestly ask to be re-enforced.

I have the honor to be, lieutenant, very respectfully, yours

R. H. ANDERSON,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.

P. S. -LIEUTENANT: You dispatch from Beech Hill just received. Please ask the general commanding to bear in mind that the present assigned leaves 130 of General Young's men under my command, which he only let me have by courtesy, and can take away when he pleases. There will be two companies of my command under General Young and one section of artillery-the artillery and one company at Red Bluff, and one company at Bluffton.

[Inclosure.]

GENERAL ORDERS,
HEADQUARTERS CAVALRY FORSES, No. -North Bank of the Savannah, Guerard's House, December 15, 1864.

I. Colonel Colcock, Third South Carolina Cavalry, will assume command of Major Mynheir's detachment, and, with it and the rest of his command, will perform the following duty; He will, after leaving a small picket at each of the ferries above the railroad, cover the river well and securely from the railroad bridge to and including Heyward's upper place.

II. Colonel Bird will with his command cover the river well add securely from Smith's to and including Moreland's place.

III. Captain Eve with his command cover well and securely the river from Moreland's to Screven's Ferry.

61 R R-VOL XLIV