al Dodge, stating that I would halt at Mount Hope
and wait for the portion of my command who were on foot to come up.

We continued to scour the country for horses and mules, but so many of
those drawn at Nashville were continually failing, that, although we
were successful in collecting a large number, still, many of the men
were without anything to ride.

On the night of the 27th, at Mount Hope, I received word from General
Dodge, stating that he had driven the enemy, and that I should push
on. My command had not all come up yet, nor did they until about 10
a. m. the next day, when we proceeded to Moulton, where we arrived
about dark. Up to this time we had been skirmishing occasionally with
small squads of the enemy, but I could hear of no force of consequence
in the country. All of the command but about fifty men were now
mounted.

We started from Moulton, in the direction of Blountsville, via Day's
Gap, about midnight on April 28. The two previous days it had been
raining most of the time, and the roads were terrible, though on the
evening of the 28th it bid fair for dry weather, which gave us strong
hopes of better times.

We marched the next day (the 29th) to Day's Gap, about thirty-five
miles, and bivouacked for the night. Every man now was mounted, and
although many of the animals were very poor, nevertheless we had
strong hopes that we could easily supply all future demands. We
destroyed during the day a large number of wagons belonging to the
enemy, laden with provisions, arms, tents, etc., which had been sent
to the mountains to avoid us, but, luckily, they fell into our hands.
We were now in the midst of devoted Union people. Many of Captain
Smith's men (Alabamians) were recruited near this place, and many were
the happy greetings between them and their friends and relations. I
could learn nothing of the enemy in the country, with the exception of
small squads of scouting-parties, who were hunting conscripts. We
moved out the next morning before daylight. I will here remark that my
men had been worked very hard in scouring so much of the country, and,
unaccustomed as they were to riding, made it still worse;
consequently, they were illy prepared for the trying ordeal through
which they were to pass. I had not proceeded more than two miles, at
the head of the colu