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same line with my own, was under special orders, having ulterior objects in view, and afforded an earnest, but only a partial, coöperation in the expedition. The distance which separated the different commands; the impossibility of establishing necessary communications between them; the absence of a general authority to command them; the time that was required for the transmission of orders from Washington, and the necessity of immediate action on account of the condition of the rivers, and operations contemplated for the armies elsewhere, gave rise to embarrassments in the organization of forces, and in the execution of orders, which could not be over

come.

In the instructions I received from the government it was left to my discretion whether or not I would join in this expedition; but I was directed to communicate with General Sherman and General Steele and Admiral Porter upon the subject. I expressed the satisfaction I should find in cooperating with them in a movement deemed of so much importance by the government, to which my own command was unequal, and my belief that with the forces designated, it would be entirely successful. Having received from them similar assurances, both my discretion and my authority, so far as the organization of the expedition was concerned, were at an end.

sive and formidable works at Trinity, the junction of the Tensas and Washita at Camden, commanding approaches from the north.

To meet these forces of the enemy, it was proposed to concentrate in some general plan of operations fifteen thousand of the troops under command of General Steele, a detachment of ten thousand from the command of General Sherman, and a force of from fifteen thousand to seventeen thousand men, from the army of the Gulf, making an army of thirty-five thousand to thirty-seven thousand men of all arms, with such gunboats as the navy department should order. Orders were given to my command at once to suspend operations at Galveston, and vigorous preparations were made for the new campaign.

Having been charged by the President with duties not immediately connected with military operations, but which were deemed important, and required my personal attention at New Orleans, the organization of the troops of my command assigned to the expedition was intrusted to Major-General W. B. Franklin. The main body of his command, consisting of the Nineteenth corps, (except Grover's division at Madisonville, which was to join him,) and one division of the Thirteenth corps under General Ransom, were at this time on Berwick's Bay, between Berwick City and Franklin, on the Bayou Teche, directly on the line of march for Alexandria and Shreveport. Small garrisons were left at Brownsville and Matagorda Bay, in Texas, (positions which, under instructions from the President, and subsequently from Lieutenant-General Grant, were not to be abandoned,) at New Orleans, and at Port Hudson, which was threatened by a vigorous and active enemy. Smaller garrisons at Baton Rouge and Donaldsonville, on the river, and at Pensacola and Key West, on the coast, constituted the balance of forces under my command.

It had been arranged that the troops concentrated at Franklin should move for the Red River on the seventh of March, to meet the forces of General Sherman at Alexandria on the seventeenth. But for causes stated by General Franklin, their march was delayed until the thirteenth, at which time the advance under General A. L. Lee left Franklin, the whole column following soon after, and arriving at Alexandria the cavalry op the nineteenth, and the infantry on the twenty-fifth.

The disposition of the enemy's forces at that time, according to the best information that could be obtained, was as follows: Magruder had about twenty thousand men of all arms, of which fifteen thousand were serviceable. The main body covered Galveston and Houston from an anticipated movement from Matagorda Peninsula, still held by our troops. Walker's division, numbering seven thousand men, were upon the Atchafalaya and Red Rivers, from Opelousas to Fort De Russy; Mouton's division between the Black and Washita Rivers, from Red River to Monroe, numbering six thousand men; while Price, with two heavy divisions of infantry, estimated at five thousand, and a large cavalry force, estimated at from seven thousand to ten thousand, held the country from Monroe to Camden and Archidelphia, confronting Steele. Magruder could spare ten thousand of his force to resist an attack from the east, leaving his fortifications well garrisoned on the coast, while Price could furnish at least an additional five thousand from the north; making a formidable army of from twenty-five thousand to thirty thousand men, On the thirteenth of March, 1864, one division equal to any forces that could be brought against of the Sixteenth corps, under Brigadier-General them, even with the most perfect unity and coop- Mower, and one division of the Seventeenth eration of commands. This estimate of the corps, under Brigadier-General T. Kilby Smith, strength of the enemy was given in my despatch the whole under command of Brigadier-General of February second, but was thought, upon in- A. J. Smith,-landed at Simmsport, on the formation received by the government, to be Atchafalaya, and proceeded at once toward Fort exaggerated. The defences of the enemy consisted of a series of works covering the approaches to Galveston and Houston from the south, the defences of Galveston Bay, Sabine Pass, and Sabine River, Fort De Russy, a formidable work, located three miles from Marksville, for the defence of the Red River, and extenVOL. IX. -Doc. 47

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De Russy, carrying it by assault at four and a half P. M. on the afternoon of the fourteenth. Two hundred and sixty prisoners and ten heavy guns were captured. Our loss was slight. The troops and transports under General A. J. Smith, and the Marine Brigade under General Ellet, with the gunboats, moved to Alexandria, which was occu

pied without opposition on the sixteenth of the same month.

General Lee, of my command, arrived at Alexandria on the morning of the nineteenth.

While at Alexandria, on the twenty-first instant, a movement was organized against the enemy posted at Henderson's Hill,twenty-five miles in advance. The expedition consisted of three briThe enemy in the mean time continued his re- gades of General A. J. Smith's command and a britreat through Cheneyville, in the direction of gade of cavalry of the Nineteenth corps, under Shreveport. Officers of my staff were at Alex- command of Colonel Lucas, of the Sixteenth Indiana andria on the nineteenth, and I made my head- volunteers; the whole under command of Briga. quarters there on the twenty-fourth, the forces dier-General Mower, of the Sixteenth corps. The under General Franklin arriving on the twenty- enemy was surprised, losing two hundred and fifty fifth and twenty-sixth of March; but as the stage prisoners, two hundred horses, and four guns with of the water in Red River was too low to admit their caissons. Colonel H. B. Sargent, of my staff, the passage of the gunboats or transports over was severely wounded in this action, and disabled the falls, the troops encamped near Alexandria, from service during the campaign. This affair General Smith and his command moving forward reflected the highest credit upon the officers and twenty-one miles to Bayou Rapids, above Alex-men engaged. andria. There were but six feet of water in the Anticipating by a few days the passage of the channel, while seven and a half were necessary gunboats, the army marched from Alexandria for for the second class, and ten feet for the first class Natchitoches, eighty miles distant by land, reachgunboats. The river is narrow, the channel ing that point on the second and third of April tortuous, changing with every rise, making its The enemy continued his retreat, skirmishing navigation more difficult and dangerous, probably, sharply with the advanced guard, but offering no than any of the western rivers, while pilots for serious resistance to our advance. the transports were reluctant to enter government service for this campaign.

The first gunboat was unable to cross the rapids until the twenty-sixth; others crossed on the twenty-eighth with some transports, and others still on the second and third of April, the passage having been made with difficulty and danger, occupying several days. Several gunboats and transports, being unable then to ascend the river, remained at Alexandria, or returned to the Mississippi. While at Alexandria, MajorGeneral McPherson, commanding at Vicksburg, called for the immediate return of the Marine Brigade - a part of General Smith's command to protect the Mississippi, for which service it had been specially organized. The transports of this brigade were unable to pass above Alexandria. The hospital boat "Woodford" had been wrecked on the rapids in attempting the passage up. The troops were suffering from small pox, which pervaded all the transports, and they were reported in condition of partial mutiny. It was not supposed, at that time, that a depot or garrison at Alexandria would be required, and this command, being without available land or water transportation, was permitted to return to the Mississippi, in compliance with the demands of General McPherson. This reduced the strength of the advancing column about three thousand men. The condition of the river, and the inability of the transports to pass the falls, made it necessary to establish a depot of supplies at Alexandria, and a line of wagon transportation from the steamers below to those above the falls. This was a departure from the plan of the campaign, which did not contemplate a post or depot at any point on Red River, and involved the necessity of leaving a division at Alexandria for the purpose of protecting the depot, transports, and supplies. Brigadier-General C. Grover was placed in command of the post, and his division left for its defence. This reduced the force of the advancing column about three thousand men.

The shortest and only practicable road from Natchitoches to Shreveport was the stage road through Pleasant Hill and Mansfield, distance one hundred miles; through a barren, sandy country, with little water and less forage, the greater portion an unbroken pine forest.

A reconnoissance from Natchitoches on the second April, under command of General Lee, discovered the enemy in force at Pleasant Hill, thirty-six miles distant, and established the fact that a portion of Greene's command had arrived from Texas, and were then confronting us. Prisoners captured from Price's command indicated, what had been feared from the loss of time at Alexandria, a concentration of the entire available force of the enemy, numbering, according to the statements. of prisoners and intercepted letters, about twenty-five thousand men with seventy-six guns.

The riyer was perceptibly falling, and the larger gunboats were unable to pass Grand Ecore. The troops under command of General A. J. Smith, who had hitherto moved in transports by the river, now marched by land from Natchitoches, with the exception of one division of the Seventeenth corps, two thousand five hundred men, — under Brigadier-General T. Kilby Smith, which, by order of General A. J. Smith, continued its movements by the river in company with the fleet, for the protection of the transports. The arrangement of land transportation for this portion of the column, the replenishing of supply trains from the transports, and the distribution of rations to the troops, were made at this point; but the fleet was unable to ascend the river until the seventh of April. The condition of the river would have justified the suspension of the movement altogether at either point, except for the anticipation of such change as to render it navigable. this subject the counsel of the naval officers was implicitly followed.

Upon

On the fourth of April, Colonel O. P. Gooding, commanding a brigade of cavalry, engaged upon

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