Question. Do you know anything about the composition of Jackson's division and of Colonel McCook's brigade in Sheridan's division? If so, please state how they were composed, whether of raw troops or of old troops.

The division of Jackson was entirely composed of raw troops, I believe. Colonel Dan McCook's brigade consisted of raw troops, and although Jackson's division was composed of excellent and brave men, I think they were very inefficient in battle, because they were raw and inexperienced.

Question. Has there been anything decided in my policy in reference to the absence of officers and soldiers from their regiments? Have my orders and my practice on that point been loose or decidedly the reverse?

The policy of General Buell as to those matters was more strict-a great deal more strict-than that of any commanding officer I know. In fact, it has been the cause of great complaint and much dislike in the army. To my certain knowledge a great many good men and good officers have taken great offense against General Buell on that account.

Question. Do you remember what day of the month it was that Colonel Forsyth and the other rebel officers you have referred to were captured and was it in the day or night, and if in the night were they sent off the same night?

I do not remember the day of the month. They were captured in the afternoon, about 9 miles from my headquarters, as I understood from Colonel Forsyth himself, over on what is called the Goose Neck road, or some such name. They were brought to my headquarters after dark. As soon as they had supper they were sent on to General Buell's headquarters, and returned between that time and 12 o'clock at night, and on the same night were sent out of our lines.

Question. Without inquiring at all what ground there may have been for the delays, supposing that my orders to General McCook had been exactly and promptly executed, that similar orders to General Thomas, who should have been within 7 miles of Perryville on the night of the 7th of October, had also been promptly and exactly executed, what effect do you suppose they would have had upon our fortunes at Perryville and the result of our operations there?

I do not think I can say what failure there was in obeying the orders of General Buell. I do not know how near we had arrived at Perryville to this day. I never was there, and I do not know whether the battle that we fought there was beyond where General McCook was expected by General Buell to go or not. I can however say this: that if our army had been in position when the enemy attacked us I think we should have obtained a very decided victory. It might have cost us a great deal, but that we expected and were willing to submit to. I thought General Bragg had a good army, but I also thought that we could whip it if we could get to it and have a fair fight. In fact I did not doubt it. The order to General Thomas I have not seen, and do not know what his specific orders were, and, as I before stated, I cannot say certainly whether General McCook was in or out of the position that General Buell designed he should take. After reaching the battle ground there was no reconnaissance made to the front by infantry of artillery. There was some of the Second Kentucky Cavalry sent off to our left front, and they watched the motions of the enemy. It may be that this order required, and it seems it did, that a reconnaissance should be made and the roads understood before General McCook reported to General Buell in person. Of course I cannot say that General McCook did not understand as much as General Buell required that he should by this order of the roads and the neighborhood before he reported to General Buell. I do not know what he knew on the subject. A reconnaissance was made, as I before stated, before we reached the battle ground, but it was directly on the road on which we were marching. I am unwilling to give a general answer as to whether this order was obeyed or not, or to say what would have been the result had a different course been pursued. I do not know the distance from the battle-field of Chaplin Hills to the town of Perryville. I was told it was a mile and a half and others said it was 3 miles. I can say that if a reconnaissance had been made to the front from the point where General McCook left us to report to General Buell the enemy would certainly have been discovered in force.