BUELL'S REPORT. consequently deprived of his command, to which General Rosecrans, with 30. his laurels fresh from the victory at Corinth, succeeded. The following official statement of General Buell contains an interesting narrative of his campaign, and a justification of its conduct: "LOUISVILLE, November 4, 1862. "L. THOMAS, ADJUTANT-GENERAL U. S. A., WASHINGTON, D. C.: mer. 493 Nashville, the remainder of the army under my command was put in march for Kentucky. The rear division left. Nashville on the 15th, and arrived at Louisville, a distance of 170 miles, on the 29th of September: the advance arrived on the 25th. "The particulars of the march will, as I have said, be given in a subsequent report in connection with other matters. "I found, in and about this city, a considerable force of raw troops, hurriedly thrown in from Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, for the defence of the city. against the formidable force that had in SIR: It is due to the army which I have commanded for the last twelve months, and perhaps due to myself, that I should make a circumstantial report of its operations during the past sum-vaded the State under General Bragg and Kirby Smith, under the command “Such a report requires data not now of Major-General Nelson, whose untimeat hand, and would occupy more timely death cannot be too much deplored. than can be spared at present from the These troops had been organized into subject of more immediate interest, brigades and divisions, and they had namely, the operations from Louisville some able and experienced officers in against the rebel forces in Kentucky general-Boyle, Jackson, Crufts, Gilbert, under the command of General Bragg. Terrill, and others. I therefore commence this report from that period, premising only in a general way, that my attention to the condition of affairs in Kentucky was demanded, first, by the minor operations of the enemy, which, by the destruction of the railroad, had completely severed the communications of my army, and left it at a distance of 300 miles from its base, with very limited supplies; and, second, by the formidable invasion, which not only threatened the permanent occupation of the State, but exposed the States north of the Ohio River to invasion. "Leaving a sufficient force to hold to one for each regiment, to carry a few "But the troops were as yet undisciplined, unprovided with suitable artillery, and in every way unfit for active operations against a disciplined foe. It was necessary to reorganize the whole force. This was done, as far as possible, by intermixing the new troops with the old, without changing the old organization. "The troops were supplied with shoes and other essentials, of which they were greatly in need, among them certain light cooking utensils, which the men could carry and dispense with wagons, the allowance of which was reduced necessary articles for officers, and one for hospital supplies, besides the ambulances. "The army was to have marched on the 31st of September, but an order, which was subsequently suspended, relieving me from the command, delayed the movement until the following day. "The army marched on the 1st ultimo, in five columns. The left moved toward Frankfort, to hold in check the force of the enemy which still remained at or near that place; the other columns, marching by different routes, finally fell respectively into the roads leading from Shepherdsville, Mount Washington, Fairfield, and Bloomfield, to Bardstown, where the main force of the enemy, under General Bragg, was known to be; these roads converge upon Bardstown at an angle of about fifteen degrees from each other. "Skirmishing with the enemy's cavalry and artillery marked the movement from each column from within a few miles of Louisville. It was more stubborn and formidable near Bardstown; but the rear of the enemy's infantry retired from that place eight hours before our arrival, when his rear-guard of cavalry and artillery retreated, after a sharp engagement with my cavalry. The pursuit and skirmishing with the enemy's rear-guard continued toward Springfield. "The information which I received, indicated that the enemy would concentrate his forces at Danville. "The first corps, under Major-General McCook, was therefore ordered to march from Bloomfield on Harrodsburg, while the second corps, under MajorGeneral Crittenden, moved on the Lebanon and Danville road, which passes four miles to the south of Perryville, with a branch to the latter place; and the third corps on the direct road to Perryville. 'My headquarters moved with the third (or centre) corps. Major-General Thomas, second in command, accompanied the second (or right) corps. "After leaving Bardstown, I learned that the force of Kirby Smith had crossed to the west side of the Kentucky River, near Salvisa, and that the enemy were moving to concentrate either at Harrodsburg or Perryville. General McCook's route was therefore changed from Harrodsburg to Perryville. "The centre corps arrived on the afternoon of the 7th, and was drawn up in order of battle about three miles from Perryville, where the enemy appeared to be in force. The advanced guard, under Captain Gay, consisting of cavalry and artillery, supported toward evening by two regiments of infantry, pressed successfully upon the enemy's rearguard to within two miles of the town, against a somewhat stubborn opposition. "The whole army had for three days or more suffered from a scarcity of water; the last day, particularly, the troops and animals suffered exceedingly for the want of it, and from hot weather and dusty roads. "In the bed of Doctor's Creek, a tributary of Chaplin River, about two and |