the river with the least possible delay, and march his command
to the camp of the Second Brigade, midway between his (then)
camp and that of the First Brigade, at the river.

After executing your order, as above, I returned to the Landing.
Soon after, you, together with your staff, went out to the camp
of the second Brigade, when the division had been ordered to
concentrate in order to be in position to take either one of two
roads, intersecting the Adamsville road from Crump's Landing to
Pittsburg Landing; one leading to Pittsburg Landing, the other
to the Purdy road from Pittsburg Landing, intersecting it at a
point not far from the right of our army under General Sherman,
as it was encamped when the battle began.

Before starting for Colonel Thayer's camp, orders were given by
you to Captain Lyman, A.Q.M., on your staff, for a horse to be
saddled and kept in readiness, in case a messenger should come
down the river with orders from General Grant to you.

Now for the order. Badeau says that a staff officer was
dispatched to General Wallace with verbal orders for him to
march by the nearest road parallel with the river. The order may
have been given verbally by General Grant to his staff officer,
but was not so delivered to you, nor did it direct you to march
by the nearest road parallel with the river. At about 11
o'clock, A.M., while at the camp of Colonel Thayer, I was
directed by you to go to Colonel M.L. Smith. I met Captain
Baxter, A.Q.M., who stopped me and handed me a paper saying, "I
wish you would take this to General Wallace." I took the paper,
read it and returned it to him, saying, I could not do so, as I
was on my way under orders from General Wallace. At the same
time I turned in my saddle, and pointed out a group of horsemen,
telling the Captain that you were among them. I went to Colonel
Smith, delivered my orders, and returning, met the Captain
again. I very distinctly remember that this order directed you
to move forward _and join General Sherman's right on the Purdy
road_ and form your line of battle at right angles with the
river; and then act as circumstances would dictate. Now the
shortest possible route by which you could reach the point
designated in the order was the one taken, viz: that one leading
from Colonel Thayer's camp (on the Adamsvill