copy left with the records of the brigade. Not having with me the orders under which I marched, and not having retained for my own use a copy of my report, I am unable to give as full and accurate an account of the expedition as was originally given, but can give with accuracy the main facts.

On the 27th of May, 1862, I received from General Granger written instructions detailing for the service my brigade; he at the same time made known to me the wishes of Major General Pope, that the Mobile and Ohio railroad should be cut south of Corinth, and as much damage as possible inflicted upon the road and rolling stock. My brigade consisted of my own regiment, the second Iowa cavalry, Lieutenant Colonel Edward Hatch commanding, and the second Michigan cavalry, Colonel P. H. Sheridan commanding; the latter was assigned to and joined the regiment the evening of the 27th of May, 1862.

About 11 p. m. on the 27th May, 1862, with ten (10) companies second Iowa cavalry, aggregate about five hundred, and the second Michigan cavalry, aggregate about four hundred, the march was commenced from the rear of left of the army near Farmington, Mississippi, then investing Corinth, Mississippi, by a detour in the direction of Eastport and east of Iuka, on the Memphis and Charleston railroad, and crossing this road about five miles east of that place, encountering only small parties of the enemy's cavalry, which were driven off or captured to avoid disclosing the object of the expedition.

About 10 p. m. on the 28th of May the command bivouacked near the junction of the roads from Fulton and Jacinto, and south of Iuka.

Early on the 29th of May the command marched in the direction of Jacinto, leaving that road and taking a more southerly road for Cartersville, with the intention of striking the Mobile and Ohio railroad at or near Baldwin, halting at Paden's mills during the excessive heat of the day, and resuming the march about 4 o'clock p. m. Over the swamps it was necessary in many places to dismount and carry fence rails to pass the horses over. The march was continued until about 9 o'clock p. m, when, from information brought by my guide and from negroes, I learned that the extensive trestle work and stores at Baldwin were defended by a considerable force of infantry with artillery. I at once continued to march for the station at Booneville, Mississippi, arriving within a mile of the place about two hours before daylight on the 30th of May. The command was ordered to keep very quiet and not to light fires, in order to reach the station unobserved; a small party was at the same time despatched to cut the telegraph wires between Booneville and Corinth, and another to cut the wires south of Booneville. The command approached the station deployed in the following order, viz: second Iowa cavalry on the right, second Michigan cavalry on the left, with one battalion of latter in rear, under command of Captain A. P. Campbell, with small parties thrown forward to the west side of the railroad as pickets while the work of destruction was going on.

The following property was destroyed, viz: one engine, about twenty-five box cars loaded with arms, estimated at eight thousand to ten thousand stand; ammunition, clotbing, quartermaster's stores, horse equipage, one or two platform cars, having on them one iron and two brass field-pieces, large depot building, well filled with material of war of all kinds, including a large amount of fixed ammunition, as the explosion for three or four hours indicated; I estimate the value of the property destroyed will exceed a half million of dollars; two culverts, and the track for about one mile was torn up in several places. I was informed by General J. B. McPherson, United States volunteers, engineer in charge of railroads at Corinth, that my attack upon the railroad secured to him a large number of engines (nine or ten in number) and over one hundred cars which the enemy could not run to the south, and were used to supply the army near Corinth from Columbus, Kentucky. Between fifteen hundred and two thousand prisoners were captured, consisting of sick and convalescents; from eight hundred to one thousand of the latter were armed, but were surprised and

surrounded before they could make any resistance; a cavalry force appeared in my right rear preparing to charge, when I prepared for counter charge, but they were soon put to rout by the battalion of the second Michigan cavalry, under command of Captain Campbell, attacking them in flank. My command remained about two hours, continuing to destroy property; being satisfied that the flames had got too far ahead to be extinguished, the return march was commenced, and the same route was followed to near Paden's mill from there a more easterly course was taken to the Fulton road, near which the command bivouacked for the night, men and animals being much exhausted for want of rest during the two preceding days and nights.

On the 31st of May the command marched for Corinth, passing through Iuka. It was here I had the first rumors of the evacuation of Corinth by the rebels, which became more authentic as I approached Corinth.

I reached camp near Farmington on the evening of the 31st of May, having marched by the route taken about two hundred miles. The conduct of officers and men throughout the whole march was excellent, and I cannot speak in too high terms of the assistance rendered me by my regimental commanders, Colonel P. H. Sheridan, second Michigan cavalry, and Lieutenant Colonel Edward Hatch, second Iowa cavalry. This expedition was the first one of the kind made since the commencement of the war, and being successful, has been frequently practiced to its close. Many prisoners were taken, but only such as were mounted were brought to camp, about two hundred in number. The casualties in my command were few, not to exceed six-one wounded, and five captured while on vidette duty on the approaches to Booneville.

I am, colonel, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
W. L. ELLIOT,

Brig. and Bvt. Major Gen'l U. S. V., late Col. 2d Iowa Cavalry. Lieutenant Colonel J. Mc. C. BELL,

A. A. G., Headquarters Department of Missouri, St. Louis, Mo.

On the 29th of May no movement of the army was made, and during that day and night the enemy, leaving his skirmishers in our front to cover his movement, evacuated Corinth. We entered the place, without opposition, early on the morning of May 30. As my command, being on the left of our line, was nearest the line of retreat of the enemy, I was re-enforced by a division from Buell's corps, and instructed to push forward in pursuit. I accordingly marched as soon as practicable, and found the rear-guard of the enemy posted behind Tuscumbia creek, about seven miles south of Corinth. This creek is a considerable stream, bordered on both sides by dismal and impenetrable swamps. The corduroy roads, on which alone they could be passed, the enemy had partly destroyed, and had entirely destroyed the bridge over the creek itself. Our advance was therefore checked for a time, but by next morning succeeded in passing the stream and renewed the pursuit. From Tuscumbia creek I returned to my camp on Clear creek, where for several days I was confined to my tent with illness. I left General Rosecrans in command of the troops and directed him to push forward after the enemy and keep me advised of the situation by courier as often as possible. He followed the enemy as rapidly as he could, preceded by Generals A. J. Smith and Granger with the cavalry.

I overtook the command on the 7th of June near Booneville, about thirty miles south of Corinth. I found that the whole force of the enemy had halted behind what was known as Twenty-mile creek. Their main body seemed to be at and in front of the town of Baldwin, twenty miles south of Booneville, while their left was thrown forward toward Blackland, not more than ten miles distant from our advance. As soon as I ascertained the position of affairs I resolved to attack by threatening the enemy near Baldwin, on the direct and main road from Booneville, and at the same time to throw my whole force on his left by

way of Blackland. Orders were accordingly given in detail for the movement of the several divisions at daylight next morning, and all preparations made for battle. I communicated my purpose to General Halleck, but he thought it best to make no attack and accordingly disapproved and countermanded the movement. A day or two afterwards the enemy resumed his retreat toward Okolona, and was followed by the cavalry of my command as far as Gun Town, sixteen miles south of Booneville. As soon as the further retreat of the enemy was made known to General Halleck, he directed me to post a sufficient force at proper points to cover the front of the army, and to place my command in camp at some convenient point until further orders. As the water was very scarce and very bad everywhere south of Tuscumbia creek, my command was drawn back to Clear creek, and encamped along that stream within four miles of Corinth on the 12th of June.

It becomes my duty in this place, and it is with pain that I feel obliged to perform it, to invite attention to an error which it has always been my purpose to correct as soon as it could be done without injury to the public interests. The day after my command reached its permanent camp on Clear creek, (the 12th of June,) I saw in the newspapers that day received the following publication :

"GENERAL HALLECK'S HEADQUARTERS,

"General Pope, with forty thousand men, is thirty miles south of Corinth, pushing the enemy hard. He already reports ten thousand prisoners and deserters from the enemy, and fifteen thousand stand of arms captured. Thousands of the enemy are throwing away their arms. A farmer says that when Beauregard learned that Colonel Elliott had cut the railroad on his line of retreat, he became frantic, and told his men to save themselves the best way they could. We have captured nine locomotives and a number of cars; one of the former is already repaired and is running to-day. Several more will be in running order in two or three days. The result is all I could possibly desire.

I copy this despatch in full, though it is only concerning the first part of it that I have any remarks to make. I need scarcely say, after this preface, that I never made such a report, nor anything like it, as is stated in the despatch above quoted. I was very much surprised when first I saw it in the papers, and immediately pointed it out to my adjutant general and other officers of my staff, who were equally surprised with myself. So far from being thirty miles south of Corinth on the date of this despatch, I was sick in my tent, not four miles distant from General Halleck's headquarters, from the 2d until the 7th of June, and was in telegraphic communication with him during the whole of that time, so that I think he must have known the fact. I sent General Halleck no reports by telegraph or otherwise, except abstracts of such as were forwarded to me by courier from Generals, Rosecrans and Granger. There is but one despatch thus sent which mentions numbers at all, and that is the following:

"HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE MISSISSippi, Near Danville, June 3, 1862.

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Major General HALLECK: The two divisions in the advance under Rosecrans are slowly and cautiously advancing on Baldwin this morning, with the cavalry on both flanks. Hamilton, with two divisions, is at Rienzi, and between there and Booneville, ready to move forward should they be needed.

One brigade from the reserve occupies Danville. Rosecrans reports this morning that all testimony shows that the enemy has retreated from Baldwin, but he is advancing cautiously. The woods for miles are full of stragglers from the enemy, who are coming in in squads. Not less than ten thousand men are thus scattered about, who will come in within a day or two.

"JNO. POPE, "Major General Commanding."

This despatch contains the substance of reports both from Generals Rosecrans and General Granger, but it contains neither the word deserter, prisoner, nor capture.

As was well known, the woods on both sides of the line of pursuit were thronged with stragglers from Beauregard's army, lagging behind or making their way to their homes in Tennessee, northern Mississippi, Kentucky, and Arkansas. It was supposed that many of them would come into our lines, but no attempt was made to capture them. Very few did come in at all, as it turned out. The estimate of the number of these stragglers was not mine, but General Granger's, who was in advance with his cavalry; but from General Buell's estimate, and what I saw and heard myself afterward, I am satisfied that General Granger's estimate was much within bounds. Upon this despatch, probably, General Halleck's extraordinary statement is made, if in fact he himself ever sent the despatch to the Secretary of War, above quoted. I say "if," because it will be noticed in the appended correspondence between him and myself on this subject, that he does not admit that he sent such a despatch.

I submit the correspondence in question, which I think will be conclusive on the subject so far as I am concerned :

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WASHINGTON, D. C., July 3, 1865. "GENERAL: The war has now ended, and the events and incidents connected with it are passing into history. As I do not wish that any report or misconception which has been circulated to my prejudice, and which is susceptible of explanation, should stand recorded against me, and as the reasons which actuated me in preserving silence until this time no longer exist, I desire to invite your attention to a despatch published in the newspapers, dated at Corinth, Mississippi, June 4, 1862, purporting to have been sent by you to the Secretary of War, and containing substantially the following words, viz: General Pope is thirty miles south of Corinth, pushing the enemy hard. He already reports ten thousand prisoners and deserters and fifteen thousand stand of arms captured,' &c. I do not know that you ever sent such a despatch; but as I do know that I never made such a report, I infer that if you sent the despatch in question you must have done so under a very great misapprehension. I have, therefore, to request that you furnish me a copy of any report made by me upon which such a despatch as that in question was sent.

I have full records of all my letters, despatches, and reports to you during the operations at Corinth, and no such report is among them.

"I am, general, respectfully, your obedient servant,

"JNO. POPE, Major General.

"United States Army, Washington, D. C."

[Reply.]

“WASHINGTON, July 5, 1865.

"GENERAL: I have to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 3d instant. As my papers are all boxed up for transportation to California,

I am not able to refer to the despatches to which you allude, nor can I trust my memory in regard to communications made more than three years ago further than to say that I never reported to the Secretary of War despatches received from you which were not so received.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

Major General JOHN POPE, Present."

"H. W. HALLECK,

[Reply.]

"WASHINGTON, D. C., July 5, 1865.

"GENERAL: Your note, in reply to my letter of yesterday's date, was received this afternoon too late to be answered before you left the city.

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'I regret that you did not see fit to make the very brief examination of your files necessary to make it plain to you that the correction asked for in my letter was due to me. I was at least entitled to an assurance that such examination should be made at the earliest practicable moment. Certainly the three weeks which you are to pass in New York afford ample time to inspect very fully all your papers bearing on the subject of my letter. As you do not promise an examination now, or at any other time, I am constrained to say to you that the statement which, trusting to your memory and without inspection of your files, you do make is altogether unsatisfactory, and leaves me at a loss to determine whether you are to be understood as denying that you sent the despatch to the Secretary of War, which was the subject of my letter, or whether, in the face of my positive denial, you mean to insist that the despatch was a correct transcript, or anything like it, of a report made to you by me. If it be your purpose to make such a statement, as an answer to my deliberate and unqualified assertion that no such report as that attributed to me was ever made by me, it becomes more necessary than ever that you should examine your files and furnish me with the papers I ask for. In short, general, I utterly deny that the despatch purporting to have been sent by you to the Secretary of War was based upon any report from me such as is therein stated, and I therefore call upon you either to disavow this despatch or to furnish me with a copy of the report attributed to me. In almost any other case this question could be easily and conclusively decided by a reference to the official files at the headquarters of the department which you then commanded; but I have ascertained, general, that when you left the west you ordered that portion of the despatches and reports concerning the operations around Corinth, which bore upon this question, to be cut out of the official books and brought with you to Washington, leaving the official records in St. Louis mutilated and incomplete.

"These despatches thus taken are believed to be in your possession. It is not necessary for me to comment upon this transaction further than to say that it manifestly leaves the question I make with you to be settled by my files and those now in your possession, together with the evidence of officers, telegraphic operators, and others whose duties and position enable them to speak with knowledge on the subject.

"I trust, general, that you understand that this correspondence has not been begun by me without due consideration, nor without abundant testimony to maintain my position on the question involved. You must, therefore, see that the matter cannot be disposed of by such a note as yours of this date. The case between us is very simple. You are believed to have sent a despatch to the Secretary of War asserting that I had made certain reports. I deny, utterly, that I did so. The onus of proof is therefore with you, and I might well be