belief that Bragg is
fixing to fall back; some say to Huntsville, some to Bridgeport. You
can judge how reliable such suspicions are. I have endeavored to get a
gunboat up to Florence, and if one could go there it could destroy all
the forces, and check Van Dorn materially. I will co-operate with it
in any way to benefit the service.

G. M. DODGE,

_Brigadier-General_.

On February 16th General Van Dorn's command commenced crossing the
Tennessee to join General Bragg's Army. I sent my cavalry to attack him. I
wired General Rosecrans that we had attacked Van Dorn's rear guard and
took some fifty prisoners from him. He had with him General Roddey,
commander of some fifteen hundred men, of which we captured about two
hundred. These prisoners said they were ordered to join General Bragg's
Army. General Rosecrans, in answer to my dispatch, sent me this message:

MURFREESBOROUGH, February 16, 1863.

_Brigadier-General Dodge, Corinth, Miss._:

Hurlbut's request and my own coincide. Hope you will be able to cut
off some of Van Dorn's command. Will give you all our news in your
direction. Accept my thanks for your promptness and energy.

W. S. ROSECRANS,

_Major-General_.

Soon after this General Rosecrans conceived the idea of sending Colonel A.
D. Streight with two thousand mounted cavalry and infantry from Nashville
by boat to Eastport, Miss., to go from there east to Georgia, destroying
the railroads and supplies Bragg's army was depending on, and then move
south and west, finally landing in Corinth, Miss. General Rosecrans
proposed that I should send two brigades to Iuka in support of this
movement, which General Grant acceded to, and said in making this movement
for me to go on and carry out the plan I had suggested in destroying the
Memphis and Charleston Railroad and the supplies gathered along it. I sent
this dispatch, giving my plan of the movement:

HDQRS. DIST. OF CORINTH, DEPRT. OF THE TENNESSEE,

CORINTH, April 4, 1863.

_Henry Binmore, Assistant Adjutant-General_:

CAPTAIN:--In accordance with Major-General Hurlbut's dispatch, I
submit the plan of operations east of here. General Rosecrans proposes
to land a force at Florence, attack and take that place, while, with a
heavy body of cavalry, he penetrates Alabama north of Tennessee River,
and gets into Johnson's rear. At the same time I am to strike and take