Second Louisiana Regiment, cut in on the wagon train near Yellow Bayou, dispersed the negro guard, killed many of the white officers, and destroyed much property. The wagons could not be brought off, as there was no exit except by the De Glaize orad, on which was the Sixteenth Corps, forming the rear guard of Banks' army. At dark the whole force had been driven pell-mell across Yellow Bayou, 4 miles from simsport. Many were left on this side scattered through the De Glaize swamps. These will be hunted out today. We began operations this morning at dawn, and will continue them as long as the enemy is within reach. A report of Colonel Harrison's operations on the north bank has been received. He kept up a continued fire on the crowded transports from Pineville to Black River, inflicting heavy loss of life on the enemy. He was in position to have destroyed the transports if his artillery had not been ordered to Arkansas. The campaign will probably close to-day at Simsport, its point of departure, after nearly seventy days of uninterrupted fighting. Nothing but the withdrawal of Walker's division from me has prevented the capture of Banks' army and the destruction of Porter's fleet. I feel bitterly about this, because my army has been robbed of the just measure of its glory and the country of the most brilliant and complete success of the war. No gun-boats remain in the Red River. The iron-clads which escaped from alexandria were dismantled and stripped of their armor. Much iron can be saved for the department. Many heavy guns were destroyed, also, and numbers of wagons burned. Stone coal, cotton, and other valuable property was abandoned. If the Atchafalaya Swamp is passable I will cross that stream, establish myself on the Grossetete and Maringouin, where forage abounds for the cavalry, and blockade the Mississippi with my batteries. As soon as the water falls I will move down and occupy and hold the La Fourche Valley, where the army can be subsisted.

Your obedient servant,

R. TAYLOR,

Major-General.

Colonel S. S. ANDERSON,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF WEST LOUISIANA, In the Field, Moreauville, May 19, 1864.

COLONEL: Yesterday a very severe action occurred near Yellow Bayou between my forces and the fresh troops of the enemy recently arrived from Texas. We drove the enemy handsomely on our right, killing all the horses and most of the gunners of a battery, and forcing the enemy to abandon it. On the left, near the De Glaize, we were severely repulsed and were forced to arrest the progress of our right. General Polignac restored order in his left brigade after a time, McMahan's battery preventing the enemy from following up a time, McMahan's battery preventing the enemy from following up his success in this part of the field. We held the field, on which the enemy, who fell back at once, left 30 dead. Our loss will reach 500, of which 30 were killed, 50 severely wounded, and some hundred prisoners taken from the left brigade. The remaining wounds are of a trifling character. Among the killed I retreat to include Colonel Stone, of Polignac's old brigade, a gallant and promising officer. This morning the enemy was close under the guns of his fleet at