up to the rebel rear 15 miles from Camden, and, assisted, by a detachment of 250 skirmishers from General Carr's cavalry, fought them to within 3 miles of Camden, where they turned off the road. The rest of the march was without interruption. On the 26th of April the army set out on its return to Little Rock. My entire brigade with the artillery, crossed the pontoon bridge in forty minutes. I arrived at Jenkins' Ferry, on the Saline, on the evening of the 29th. During the evening the enemy skirmished with your rear, under Colonel Engelmann. The Thirty-third Iowa was accordingly sent and was placed by him half a mile beyond his camp, on the Princeton road. During the night the trains were constantly engaged in crossing the Saline River. The terrible condition of the roads, and a heavy, continuous rain made this operation necessarily a slow one, and morning found a large part of the train still on the south side of the river.

At daylight I went to the rear to see the Thirty-third Iowa, and finding them too far from support, I ordered Colonel Mackey to bring in his skirmishers, preparatory to falling back, and sent to you for permission to bring the regiment back to the remainder of my brigade. As soon as Colonel Mackey's skirmishers commenced to move the enemy commenced the attack. I then immediately ordered the Fiftieth Indiana up to their support, forming that regiment on the left. Receiving orders from you to fall back still farther, I formed a new line with the Ninth Wisconsin and Twenty-ninth Iowa about half a mile in the rear of my first line and withdrew my first line behind it. The Thirty-third Iowa, which had been without fires all night, was now permitted to go to the rear to get breakfast. I then formed the Fiftieth en echelon on the left and crossed the detachment of the Second Brigade over the creek on my right with two companies of the Twenty-ninth Iowa. My line had barely been formed and skirmishers deployed when the enemy renewed the attack. Their efforts seemed at first principally directed to my right flank. They were repulsed in this attack, but immediately made a determined assault on my left. I now sent the Thirty-third Iowa to the left of the Fiftieth Indiana. The assault of the enemy was heavy and determined, and they succeeded in turning the left flank of the Thirty-third, driving them some 250 yards. At this juncture the Twelfth Kansas Infantry came forward and I moved them up to the left of the Thirty-third. They came up with a cheer and drove the enemy before them. The Thirty-third then advanced, and at the same time my whole line was moved up nearly 300 yards beyond its former position. The enemy now again began to turn his attention to my right and threw a force across Toxie Creek, which covered my right, and moved down thorough the dense woods and got a raking fire on my right. The Second Kansas (colored) came up at this time, and I threw them forward in advance of the Ninth Wisconsin and Twenty-ninth Iowa to relieve those regiments, as their ammunition was really all expended. The Forty-third Illinois had moved up, under nearly all expended. The Forty-third Illinois had moved up, under your orders, to support the troops on the right of the creek. The Twenty-seventh Wisconsin had also moved up to support my left. The enemy now brought up a section of artillery and furiously renewed the attack from the open field in front of my right. After a long, desperate struggle he was repulsed and the Second Kansas Colored Infantry and Twenty-ninth Iowa Infantry moved forward and took his guns. These two guns, with their caissons,