Brigadier-General Shelby, with his division, was in advance, passing in his route through Doniphan and Patterson, while Major-General Marmaduke, whose route was by Poplar Bluff, Castorville, and Dallas, had not yet come up. On the 19th, before Brigadier-General Shelby reached Doniphan, news of the arrival of the army having been received, a force of the enemy composed of a portion of the Twelfth Missouri (Federal) Cavalry,* then occupying the place, withdrew and retreated to Ponder's Mill, burning the houses of citizens as they passed along, where they were overtaken the next day by scouting parties sent in pursuit and were routed with a loss of a lieutenant and 3 men killed, 4 wounded, and 6 prisoners, besides several horses and small-arms captured. Our loss, 2 killed and 5 wounded.

On the 22nd Brigadier-General Shelby attacked the town of Patterson, but the garrison having received information of the approach hastily evacuated the place with a loss of 28 killed and several wounded; also telegraph battery and operator captured. No loss on our part. On the 25th I remained at Fredericktown awaiting the arrival of Marmaduke's division, which came up that evening within eight miles of the place. Major-General Marmaduke on his route had a few skirmishes with the Federal militia, killing and wounding 4 and capturing 11.

Colonel Jeffers, of Marmaduke's division, had, before the arrival of the army at Pocahontas, been sent with his regiment to Bloomfield, Mo., which the enemy evacuated at his approach, whereupon he attacked their rear, killing a number and capturing arms and six wagon loads of army stores, he rejoined his brigade (Clark's) on the 24th; detached again on the 25th, he attacked and by a gallant charge drove the enemy out of the town of old Jackson. (For particulars see Brigadier-General Clark's report.)I received at Fredericktown satisfactory information that the strength of the enemy at Ironton was about 1,500 and that the Federal General A. J. Smith was encamped about ten miles from Saint Louis with his corps, composed of about 8,000 infantry, on the Saint Louis and Iron Mountain Railroad. I immediately issued orders to Brigadier-General Shelby to proceed at once with his division by the way of Farmington to a point on the Saint Louis and Iron Mountain Railroad, where there were three fine bridges in close proximity to each other, and to destroy the railroad there and the bridges; after effecting that object to fall back in the direction of Ironton and Pilot Knob, which would effectually prevent General A. J. Smith from re-enforcing the garrison at those places, while I would attack and take them with the divisions of Major-Generals Fagan and Marmaduke. General Shelby proceeded to the point indicated and performed the duty assigned him in the most complete and effective manner, destroying the splendid bridge at Irondale as well as the three bridges mentioned, tearing up miles upon miles of the track, burning the ties, rails, &c. (For full particulars reference is made to the accompanying report of Brigadier-General Shelby.)

On the morning of the 26th, being rejoined by Major-General Marmaduke's division, I proceeded at an early hour with Fagan's and Marmaduke's divisions in the direction of Ironton and Pilot Knob, at the same time sending forward a portion of Fagan's division to take and hold a difficult pass in that direction between two mountains within three or four miles of Ironton. This was effected rapidly and with success. That evening I sent forward the remainder of his division, leaving his train at Saint Francis Creek, six miles from Ironton, where forage could

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*It was the Third Missouri State Militia Cavalry.

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