Today in History:

594 Series I Volume XXXII-III Serial 59 - Forrest's Expedition Part III

Page 594 KY., SW. VA., TENN., MISS., ALA., AND N. GA. Chapter XLIV.

Tennessee Regiment, Colonel Duckworth; Twelfth Tennessee Regiment, Colonel Green; Thirteenth Tennessee Regiment, Colonel Neely; Fourteenth Tennessee Regiment, Colonel Stewart.

Second Brigade, Colonel r. McCulloch commanding: Second Missouri Regiment; Wills' battalion; First Mississippi Partisans; Fifth Mississippi Regiment; Eighteenth Mississippi Battalion; Nineteenth Mississippi Battalion; McDonald's battalion.

Third Brigade, Colonel Thompson commanding; Third Kentucky Regiment; Seventh Kentucky Regiment; Eight Kentucky Regiment; Faulkner's Kentucky regiment; Forrest's Alabama regiment.

Fourth Brigade, Colonel T. H. Bell commanding: Second Tennessee [Barteau's] Regiment, Colonel Wilson commanding.

II. The First and Second Brigades will be organized into a division, and will be known and designated as First Division of Forrest's cavalry, Brigadier General J. R. Chalmers commanding.

III. The Third and Fourth Brigades will be organized into a division, and will be known and designated as Second Division, Forrest's cavalry, Brigadier General A. Buford commanding.

By command of Major-General Forrest:

J. P. STRANGE,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

DEMOPOLIS, March 8, 1864.

General COOPER:

Your dispatch of yesterday regarding cavalry received. There are no such detailed (detached) companies in Mississippi and Alabama that can be relied on for the purpose indicated. I suggest that you allow me send instead a brigade of two full regiments with their brigade commander, General Clanton. He is an experienced cavalry officer, very efficient and enterprising. One regiment is well organized and officered, the other just formed and without field officers. If this substitution is agreeable ot the President I will nominate as field officers Major Thomas and Major Huger, of General Withes' staff, as colonel and lieutenant-colonel, and Major Ball, of General Forney's staff, as major.

Those are all officers of high promise-the first and last graduates of West Point, the other from one of the State military academies. Such a brigade could be relied upon. It is in the northeastern part of Alabama, and ten days nearer than any force I have; they could march to Atlanta and go thence by rail.

They have with them a field battery of four guns. The men and horses might and should be sent with the brigade; the guns and harness might be supplied elsewhere if necessary. I could add another regiment to follow them; two in a few days if necessary.

L. POLK,

Lieutenant-General.

CONFIDENTIAL.] HDQRS. ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA, March 8, 1864.

Lieutenant General JAMES LONGSTREET,

Commanding, &c., Greenville, Tenn.:

GENERAL: I was in Richmond when your letter arrived, and have been so much occupied by the recent movements of the enemy that


Page 594 KY., SW. VA., TENN., MISS., ALA., AND N. GA. Chapter XLIV.