factory, that I may avail myself of an early opportunity of supplying, if in my power, such further information as may be desired by him?

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

W. W. MACKALL,

Brigadier-General.

General S. COOPER,

Adjutant and Inspector General C. S. Army.

[Indorsements.]

SEPTEMBER 15, 1862.

Respectfully submitted to the President.

G. W. RANDOLPH,

Secretary of War.

I do not understand from this report whether all the force was captured or why it was impossible to have effected a retreat.

JEFFERSON DAVIS.

MOBILE, ALA., November 26, 1862.

GENERAL: Your letter of November 13 was received by me yesterday as I was going on board a steamer to visit Fort Morgan, and I was obliged to postpone my answer until to-day.

I did not pass the slough; I was prevented by the gunboats from reaching it. Had I added to the words underscored by you, viz, "after I passed on the other side," the words " of Tiptonville," the passage would have been free from all ambiguity, and would have read thus: "The enemy's gunboats preceded me to Tiptonville, and took a position opposite the slough mentioned above. Their troops passed along the river road to the slough shortly after I passed on the other side of Tiptonville." Going form Madrid Bend down the river the road divides before you reach Tiptonville, the one keeping along the bank of the river in front of the village, the other passing through the wood-land back of the village. They come together below the village and there follow the bank of the river to the crossing of the slough. I pursued the latter road; the enemy the former.

The presence of the gunboats obliged me to halt under cover of the timber before reaching the junction of the roads below Tiptonville, and it was while so halted that the enemy's land forces, passing along the river road, took a position between my troops and the slough.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

W. W. MACKALL,

Brigadier-General.

General S. COOPER,

Adjutant and Inspector General.

Numbers 27. Report of Lieutenant Colonel E. D. Blake, C. S. Army, Acting Inspector-General.

CORINTH, MISS., April 10, 1862.

GENERAL: Agreeably to your orders, I left Corinth on March 24 and Memphis on the following day by steamboat for Island Numbers 10. In