points he found abandoned by the enemy. At several places much property had been burned.

To finish the operations of Harrison's cavalry: On the morning of the 6th, while awaiting Walker's arrival, the enemy's cavalry was reported to me to be approaching from Milliken's Bend. Major Harrison, With 100 men, advanced to meet them. Three miles distant he found them drawn up, 140 strong, charged them at once, illing 8 and capturing a Lieutenant and 24 privates, and pursued them until fired upon by infantry in sight of the Bend.

I cannot speak too highly of Major Harrison as a cavalry officer. I do not think he has a superior in the service. Accordingly, I have ordered some unattached companies to report to him, to raise his command to a regiment. If furnished With anything like adequate means, he will protect thoroughly this section of the State.

The night of my arrival at this place, viz, the 5th, was spent in procuring intelligence of the enemy's position on this side of the river. I found that this line of transit had ceased to be of importance to be enemy, since he established his right flank on the Yazoo, at Hayne's Bluff, and almost all the stores had been removed. Transports in large numbers were plying up the Yazoo. At Lake Providence the enemy had a few companies and a large number of Negroid arriving, below that point to Milliken's there was a negro brigade of uncertain strength and four companies of the Tenth Illinois Cavalry. There was a deadly feud between these negroes and the cavalry, and their camps were considerably separated the negroes up the river. Between Milliken's and Young's Point a distance of 11 miles, then were scattered in large numbers, most of them empty or occupied by sick and convalescents. At Youngs's were some 500 or 600 men, detachments and convalescents. Some wagons and mules were immediately on the river, bank, evidently for convenient shipment up the Yazoo. Below Young's around the point to opposite Vicksburg and across by the plank road to Bedford, there were a few pickets and some small bands of negroes. Harrison had cleared everything below Bedford.

All these facts were completely established during the night of the 5th and early on the 6th before Waler's DIVISION arrived at 10 a. m. As the enemy knew nothing of the presence of so large a force, believing to act at once. Accordingly, general Waler was directed to cook two days' rations and bat 67 p. m. The distances from Richmond to Young's and Milliken'S RESPECTIVELY, are 20 AND 10 MILES, and the road is common for 5 miles from Richmond. The intense heat of the water rendered a night march desirable, and an attack at early dawn lessened the risk of annoyance form gunboats. I instructed General Walker to send one brigade to Young's one to Milliken's and hold the THIRD in reserve at a point 6 miles from Richmond. Twenty man from Harrison's command, acquainted With the country, were selected to accompany each of the attacking columns. My signal officer, Lieutenant Routh With a a party of his men, was ordered to accompany the column to Young's and make every effort to communicate with Vicksburg, and the great importance of so doing was impressed on all. The two columns, after respectively, to Duckport, nearly equidistant from Young's and Milliken's were a road struck off from the river and fell into the Richmond road, near the point of divergence mentioned above.