and captured a portion of a gang of workmen employed by the quartermaster's department in getting out logs for the Government near Sale Creek, together with some 50 teams in use there, and had robbed the country generally; friends and foes seemed to suffer alike, but not an engine or car had yet been destroyed. After my arrival here, leaving that Wheeler was moving toward Middle Tennessee, by way of Sparta and Pikeville, on the 31st of August I sent the Ninth Pennsylvania Cavalry, some 600 strong, to the Sequatchie Valley, with instructions to pursue the enemy, and prevent small detachments from being diverted from the main body for the purpose of destroying the railroad; at the same time, at the request of General Rousseau for assistance, I sent four regiments, 300 strong each, to occupy the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad from Bridgeport to Tullahoma. The regiment sent to Cowan barely had time to unload from the cars before it was engaged with the advance of 500 rebel cavalry, who, finding a force at Cowan and the tunnel, moved north and destroyed some railroad track near Decherd. On the 1st instant, having received reports that the enemy were demonstrating upon our lines of communication with Nashville with some prospect of success, I moved by rail to Murfreesborough, taking with me, including the four regiments placed on the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad the day previous by me, 3,500 men and one section of artillery, making a total now from my command in the District of Tennessee nearly 4,200 strong. Of my operations in that district I will forward a report as soon as one can be made.

I am deeply indebted to the officers of my command for their prompt and energetic discharge of all duties required of them, and to the men for their readiness to respond to all orders and their uncomplaining endurance of the most excessive fatigue.

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

JAMES B. STEEDMAN,

Major-General.

ASST. ADJT. General, DEPT. OF THE CUMBERLAND.

Numbers 290.

Report of Brigadier General Robert S. Granger, U. S. Army, commanding District of Northern Alabama, of operations during Wheeler's raid.

HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF NORTHERN ALABAMA,
Decatur, September 19, 1864.

I have the honor to forward you the following report of the operations of the troops under my command during the late raids of Wheeler and Roddey on the Nashville and Chattanooga and Tennessee and Alabama Railroads:

On the 20th of August I received a telegram from you that Clanton had crossed the Coosa with 1,200 men to strike the railroad between Huntsville and Chattanooga. On August 21 I ascertained positively that he had established his camp at Moulton and had been re-enforced by several regiments and battalions, swelling his force to between 2,000 and 3,000, and that he had with him nine pieces of artillery. About the same time Roddey returned to Moulton. On the 22nd of August it was positively reported that Roddey

32 R R-VOL XXXVIII, PT II