Sioux City with eight companies of my regiment, Companies A and F, under command of Captain Stewart, having previously embarked as guard on board steamer Hastings. The fleet left Grand Ecore about 2 p. m. of that day, lying up at 6 p. m. at Campti for the night. At 8 p. m. Company A, Lieutenant Boyington commanding, in obedience to orders from division headquarters, went on board steamer Black Hawk as guard.

At 2 a. m. of the 8th instant, in obedience to orders from brigade headquarters, I ordered Company D, Captain Beckley commanding, to go on board steamer Shreveport as guard, also Company C, Lieutenant Wells commanding, to go on board steamer Meteor as guard; 8th instant proceeded up Red River without incident, tying up for the night a few miles below Coushatta Chute. On the 9th instant was fired upon with musketry without effect from east bank of the river, near Coushatta Chute; returned the fire spiritedly. Company A, Lieutenant Boyington commanding, on board steamer Black Hawk, was also fired upon in a like manner. 10th, proceeded up the river until 2 p. m., when we met an obstruction, the steamer New Falls City, having been sunken by the enemy, lying directly across the channel, her bow and stern resting against either bank of the river. Disembarked my regiment, with the exception of Companies A and C, formed line of battle, re-embarked in obedience to orders at 4 p. m., and moved down the river, floating backward about 6 miles; the stream being not sufficiently wide to round to, tied up for the night; moved on at daybreak on the morning of the 11th, rounding to after floating about 2 miles, and tying up for the night some miles above Coushatta Chute. 12th instant, was fired upon with musketry from the east bank of the river, near Coushatta Chute; returned the fire spiritedly. None of my men were wounded on steamer Sioux City. Company C, on steamer Meteor, Lieutenant Wells commanding, received a similar fire, returning it gallantly, with a loss of 1 man, Thomas J. Brown, killed. Company A, Lieutenant Boyington commanding, on steamer Black Hawk, and Company D, Captain Beckley commanding, on steamer Shreveport, were also fired upon from the same point without serious effect. At 5 p. m. of same day, Company A, Lieutenant Boyington, and Company F, Captain Stewart, bore an active and conspicuous part in the very effective repulse of the furious attack made from the west side of the river upon steamers Hastings, Black Hawk, and Emerald by the enemy, with artillery and 1,200 dismounted cavalry, supported by a heavy reserve, all under General Green. The gun-boat Osage, in tow by the Black Hawk, the gun-boat Lexington, four Parrott guns on bow of steamer Rob Roy, and one section Battery M, First missouri Light Artillery, on steamer Emerald, all poured a terribly effective fire upon the enemy, the infantry using their muskets with great precision and effect at very close range. Company F had 1 man wounded; Company A had 8 men wounded, The conduct of Lieutenant Boyington and his company elicited and material the praise of all witnesses. On 13th instant, at 1 p. m., ran a gauntlet of a four-gun (12-pounders) battery, well posted, and musketry at Vandares, on the east bank of the river. The shots were fired at the pilot-house with great precision, the first grazing the hurricane deck just forward of the pilot-house, demolishing at that point my breast-works of hard bread and wounding slightly First Sergeant Andrews, Company E, and 1 man; the balance of the shells missing the pilot-house but a few feet, and exploding with great precision.