green for use, I determined to return to Decatur. Whilst on my way to Hillsborough from eighty to oine hundred men of Stuart's battalion suddenly made their appearance on my left and edeavored to cut off a few men in my rear who were collecting cattle, and partially succeeded in so doing; but they, with about twenty men taken from the rear of the column by Lieutenant Prosser, of the brigade staff, charged into the reble line, broke and divided it, and drove them in confusion about three miles, capturing a risoner who was dismounted by a stroke of the saber in the hands of Lieutenant Prosser, whilst Major Stuart himself was also dismounted by a saber stroke from Lieutenant Andis, Second Tennessee Cavalry, but in t he melee which took place he succeeded in escaping. Farther pursuit was useless, because the rebels dispersed ine very direction through the woods and never afterward made their apopearance. We arrived at Decatur at noon on the 13th instant, and the results of the expedition were 12 prisoners, inlducing 1 captain, 3 lieutenants, 1 enrolling officer, 250 head of cattle, about 225 sheep, 75 horses and mules, and about 150 contrbands, large and small. The country contians considerable quantities of forage and stock, and fine growing crops of corn around Courtlnad and Moulton and in the direction of Russellville and tuscumbia; but many of the planters are transporting their movather south. I regret that the occurrence of any untoward circumstance should have prevented the expedition from being as successful as it otherwise might have been. the health of the men was excellent while absent, and the casualties were ntohing except four horses killed in action.

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

W. F. PROSSER,

Lieutenant Colonel, Commanding First Brigade, Fourth Cavalry Division.

Lieutenant HEWITT,

Acting Assistant Adjutant-General, Post Decatur.

[39.]

JULY [?], 1864.-Scout in Morgan and Lawrence Counties, Ala., and skirmishes.

Report of Major John B. Minnis, Third Tennessee Cavalry.

HEADQUARTERS THIRD TENNESSEE CAVLARY,
Camp near Mooresville, Ala., July 12, 1864.

CAPTAIN: I have the honor to submit the following report of the two days' scout in Morgan and Lawrence Counties, Ala.:

In compliance with your orders I proceeded with my command on the Courtland road. After moving out some eight miles the advance commenced skirmishing with fifteen of the enemy's pickets, and continued to skirmish for two miles, caputring three prisoners belogning to Colonel Nixon's Twentieth Tennessee Cavalry Regiment, their arms, horses, &c. From information obtained from these prisoners I learned that their regiment, about 250 or 300, wee at Pond Spring. Sending a company with instructions to go as far as Hillsborough and obtain all information possible, I encamped my regiment on Fox Creek for the night. At daylight I moved my pickets, and thiers being in sight, immediately commenced skirmishing briskly with them. Beyond Hillsborough they fled, and learning that during the night they had scatered, I sent a scout toward Courtland. I then took the road to the left of Hillsborough and moved to the main Moulton road; thence to the left across the mountain to Trinity Church and the Courtland road.