A. A. G., Captain George E. Spencer, has just returned from
Tuscumbia; succeeded in getting through all the enemy's camps and
obtaining valuable information. The forces are posted as follows:
Colonel Dibrell, 900 men, at Tuscumbia Landing; Colonel Josiah
Patterson, 1,000, at Florence; Colonel M. W. Hannon, 1,800, at
Tuscumbia; Colonel Roddey's old regiment, 800, at Tuscumbia Landing;
Baxter Smith, 350, ten miles this side; Colonel Hampton, 300 at same
place; W. R. Julian, 300, at Grey's, six miles this side; and Smith,
100, at Big Bear. The above all cavalry. Between Courtland and
Tuscumbia, one brigade of infantry, under Colonel Wood, as follows:
Colonel A. H. Helvenston, 300; Colonel J. B. Bibb, 500; Colonel W. B.
Wood, Sixteenth Alabama, 400. The last brigade, and one brigade of
cavalry, under General Roddey, arrived at Tuscumbia last week. This
more than doubles their force. They have also five pieces of artillery
at Florence and six pieces at Tuscumbia.

G. M. DODGE,

_Brigadier-General_.

Upon notification of General Rosecrans of the movement of Colonel
Streight, I moved out to carry out the combined plan, engaging the enemy
at Little Bear and Tuscumbia, and defeated them as my report shows.
Colonel Streight was greatly delayed in starting from Nashville, and was
only partially mounted, his intention being to complete the mount of his
force as he traveled through the enemy's country--a fatal mistake. His
delay in reaching me and my movement caused Bragg to send General Forrest
to join General Roddey; and so by the time General Streight reached
Eastport, April 21st, the force before me had been doubled and the best
cavalry officer in the rebel force had arrived to take command in my
front.

Colonel Streight lost part of his horses and mules while unloading at
Eastport, and, although I made an effort to mount him, stripping my own
transportation and scouring the country in my vicinity, still he left us
after I captured Tuscumbia the second time, on May 26th, with two hundred
of his men dismounted and one-half of the rest on mules, illy prepared for
such a trip. I told Colonel Streight that I would hold the enemy in my
front as long as possible, but the moment Colonel Forrest got word of his
movement he would go after him and follow him to death. His only salvation
was to get three or four days' start by long marches before Forrest
learned of his mov