judge of the amount of labor imposed upon my command in foraging and scouting over as the 22nd of January. From that time 1,000 Federal cavalry have been foraging upon the country on one side, and hundreds of guerrillas on the other. It is exhausted. They country of itself, even with abundance of forage at all and forages have to go in large numbers 25 or 30 miles to find forage, and not find any half the time. If there is any forage anywhere it has been concealed by guerrillas in the mountain fastness to which no one can find across but they, and were from the nature of the country and the friendly disposition of the inhabitants, they are comparatively secure. The Union people have all, or almost all, left the country.

The remainder is generally hostile, or tacit, if not open, league with the bushwhackers, and will not disclose the last particular that might lead to any discovery. I have to depend altogether upon my own means of information, and to do so my horses are constantly employed. Very often I send men dismounted in order to give horses rest. There is no grass yet. I am now herding my animals on the wheat fields, and, with so little sustenance and so hard service, they are dying every day. When the leaves put out, unless I can get more horses, it will be next to impossible for my command to remain any longer. At this time, however, the rains have been more than ordinary, the streams are swollen past fording, and White River must have become navigable, for the next two or three months at least, as far up as Buffalo City or shoals, 18 miles from Yellville. With a new remount of horses and supplies of forage and subsistence, that could be shipped to that place from below, I could not only maintain myself here, but an end to bushwhacking.

By moving or whole of my command to that place and establishing my de headquarters there I would be nearer and would have straight road to the range of McRae's banditti, at Sylamore and Richwoods, where they are said to be 800 or 1,000 strong, but poorly armed. Here I have 600 men, but half of those only are mounted on horses that are at all serviceable. I am compelled to shape my movements upon my means of accomplishment and upon the necessities of my command more, that upon its strength. Sixty miles separate me from McRea, and, with the numbers I have and the condition of my horses, it is too far for me to venture an attack upon him without a support that my dismounted men cannot afford.

I am,m very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JOHN E. PHELPS,

Colonel Second Arkansas Cavalry.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI,
Saint Louis, Mo., April 29, 1864.

Brigadier General JOHN B. GRAY,

Adjutant-General of Missouri, Saint Louis, Mo.:

GENERAL: The commanding general desires to know if there are any available arms at Jefferson City. If not he desires 1,000 stand State arms to be got ready at once, to be sent to that point for distribution as General Brown may direct.

I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

FRANK ENO,

Assistant Adjutant-General.