explore both places and ten miles of the interior country. Should you decide to make one of the places a post of troops, to be occupied for one year, the peninsula of 3,500 acres immediately below Columbia with two plantations, marked Ville Monte and Milesia, would make a safe place for all the freedmen who would seek the protection of the troops. The country opposite, in the State of Mississippi, is occupied by the richest class of planters, and is one of the most productive in the State.

I have the honor to be, your obedient servant,

N. B. BUFORD,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.

HDQRS. THIRD DIVISION, SEVENTH ARMY CORPS,
Fort Smith, Ark., February 25, 1865.

Colonel W. A. PHILLIPS,

Commanding Third Brigadier, Seventh Army Corps, Fort Gibson, C. N.:

I send the Ad. Hines with commissary stores and hope she will get up without accident. The Virginia Barton has no doubt reached you with supplies. If possible, load the Ad. Hines with hay, as we are very much in need of forage here. I hope to accumulate stores enough here to fully supply you, either by boat or wagon, and if so, long route via Fort Scott can be abandoned. If this boat cannot get above Webber's Falls you will send a guard to that point to protect the stores which will have to be unloaded.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

CYRUS BUSSEY,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.

VICKSBURG, February 25, 1865.

Colonel C. T. CHRISTENSEN:

I have the honor to make the following report of the condition of my command: I have present for duty 3,938 cavalry, one 4-gun battery, 127 men for duty. I require to fit my command for the field from 500 to 600 horses. General Morgan L. Smith has promised to turn over to my command some 400 artillery horses, too light for artillery service, that can be replaced hereafter, if he can get an order from your headquarters to do so. It is no fault of mine that I am not better prepared for the field than I am. I made every effort before leaving Nashville to thoroughly equip my division, but failed because the animals were not to be had at that point. I was informed that there would be no difficulty in securing horses when I arrived at New Orleans. Being ordered to disembark at this point I can hardly hope to get any horses from there in time to start on this expedition contemplated. I am therefore the more anxious to have the order issued for the horses here. I propose, unless ordered to the country, to move without artillery or wheels of any kind, except a few ambulances. I shall leave my wagons, fit up a pack train, and start with ten day's hard tack, coffee, and salt, and three days' short forage, and 100 rounds of ammunition on persons of men. It has been raining for four days, and at present my command is mud bound. Please answer by telegraph whether I can have the horses. Captain Harrison, of your staff, has just arrived with instructions in regard to the mounting of my division. No horses have

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