Adam Badeau, Military history of Ulysses S. Grant from April 1861 to April 1865. Volume 1

You are hereby directed to hold your whole command ready to march at an hour's notice, until further orders; and you will take particular care to be amply supplied with transportation and ammunition. You are also directed to make demonstrations with your troops along both sides of the river towards Charleston, Norfolk, and Blandville, and to keep your columns constantly moving back and forward against these places, without, however, attacking the enemy.

Very respectfully, etc.,

Jeff Thompson is at Indian ford of the St. Francois river, twenty-five miles below Greenville, with about three thousand men. Colonel Carlin has started with force from Pilot Knob. Send a force from Cape Girardeau and Bird's Point to assist Carlin in driving Thompson into Arkansas.

By order of

You will take command of an expedition, consisting of your regiment, four companies of the Eleventh Illinois, all of the Eighteenth and Twenty-ninth, three companies of cavalry from Bird's point (to be selected and notified by yourself), and a section of Swartz's battery, artillery, and proceed by steamboats to Commerce, Missouri. From Commerce you will strike for Sikeston, Mr. Cropper acting as guide. From there you will go in pursuit of a rebel force, understood to be three thousand strong, under Jeff Thompson, now at Indian ford, on the St. Francis river.

An expedition has already left Ironton, Missouri, to attack this force. Should they learn that they have left that place, it will not be necessary for you to go there, but pursue the enemy in any direction he may go, always being cautious not to fall in with an unlooked — for foe, too strong for the command under you.

The object of the expedition is to destroy this force, and the manner of doing it is left largely at your discretion, believing it better not to trammel you with instructions.

Transportation will be furnished you for fourteen days rations and four or five days forage. All you may require outside of this must be furnished by the country through which you pass. In taking supplies, you will be careful to select a proper officer to press them, and require a receipt to be given, and the articles pressed accounted for in the same manner as if purchased.

You are particularly enjoined to allow no foraging by your men. It is demoralizing in the extreme, and is apt to make open enemies where they would not otherwise exist.

In pursuance of directions from headquarters, Western Department, I have sent from here a force of about three thousand [581] men, of all arms, towards Indian ford, on the St. Francis river, and also a force of one regiment from Cape Girardeau in the same direction.

I am now, under the same instructions, fitting out an expedition to menace Belmont, and will take all the force proper to spare from here, probably not more than three thousand men.

If you can make a demonstration towards Columbus at the same time with a portion of your command, it would probably keep the enemy from throwing over the river much more force than they now have there, and might enable me to drive those they now have out of Missouri. The principal point to gain is, to prevent the enemy from sending a force to fall in the rear of those now out from this command. I will leave here tomorrow night, and will land some twelve miles below.

On receipt of this, turn your column towards New Madrid. When you arrive at the nearest point to Columbus, from which there is a road to that place, communicate with me at Belmont.

Herewith I send you an order to Colonel Oglesby, to change the direction of his column towards New Madrid, halting to communicate with me at Belmont from the nearest point on his road.

I desire you to get up the Charleston expedition ordered for to-morrow, to start to-night, taking two days rations with them. You will accompany them to Charleston, and get Colonel Oglesby's instructions to him by a messenger, if practicable, and when he is near enough you may join him. For this purpose you may substitute the remainder of your regiment in place of an equal amount from Colonel Marsh's. The two days rations carried with your men in haversacks will enable [582] you to join Colonel Oglesby's command, and there you will find rations enough for several days more should they be necessary. You may take a limited number of tents, and at Charleston press wagons to carry them to the main column. There you will find sufficient transportation to release the pressed wagons.

Special order.

The troops composing the present expedition from this place will move promptly at six o'clock this morning. The gunboats will take the advance, and be followed by the First brigade, under command of Brigadier-General John A. Mc-Clernand, composed of all the troops from Cairo and Fort Holt. The Second brigade, comprising the remainder of the troops of the expedition, commanded by Colonel John Dougherty, will follow. The entire force will debark at the lowest point on the Missouri shore, where a landing can be effected in security from the rebel batteries. The point of debarkation will be designated by Captain Walke, commanding naval forces.

By order of