remained with us for safety.  Next day was very cold.  We worked hard at the lists of prisoners —­nearly five thousand in number—­all of whom were sent to St. Louis, in charge of our inspector-general, Major Sanger.  Our loss was less than one hundred.  The enemy, although behind intrenchments, lost more than double what we did.  Their wounded were much worse hurt than ours, who were mostly hit around the head and arms.

The losses were nearly all in General Sherman’s wing of the army.  The loss in the fleet amounted to little, but their service was very valuable, and deserved great credit, though they received little.  There was a good deal of sympathy between our part of the forces and the fleet people, and I then thought, and still think, if we had been on the left next the river, that in connection with the tremendous fire from the navy, we could have carried the work in an hour after we opened on it.  Their missiles traversed the whole fortification, clear through to the hospitals at the upper end, and I stood five minutes in rifle-range of the fort next the river—­not hit, and but seldom shot at, and no one hit near me.

On the 18th we embarked, in a snow-storm; collected at Napoleon, which seemed to be washing away; and steamed to Milliken’s Bend, were we arrived on January 21st, and soon after went to Young’s plantation, near Vicksburg.

The above statement from General Hammond was received by General Sherman, inclosed in a letter dated “Chicago, February 5, 1876” and signed “John H. Hammond,” who was adjutant-general to General Sherman during the winter of 1862-’83.

J. E. TOURTELLOTTE

CINCINNATI, February 3, 1876

MY DEAR GENERAL:  At Arkansas Post the troops debarked from steamer January 9th, from one o’clock to dark, in the vicinity of Notrib’s farm, and on the 10th moved out to get position; Steele to the right, crossing the low ground to the north, to get a higher ground, avoid crowding the moving columns, and gain the left (our right) and rear of the “post,” and the river-bank above the post.  Stuart took the river-road the movement commencing at 11 o’clock a.m..  After crossing the low ground covered with water, you were called back with Steele, as Stuart had driven out the enemy’s rifle-trench pickets, this giving more and feasible room for moving.  Stuart was pushed forward, and by dark he and Steele were well up to their expected positions.  Before daylight on the 11th you directed me to accompany you for a personal inspection of the ground to your front, which we made on foot, going so far forward that we could easily hear the enemy at work and moving about.  Discovering the open fields, you at once directed Steele to move to the right and front, and pushed Stuart out so as to fully command them and the field-work of the enemy extending from the fort, to prevent farther strengthening, as it was evident