usly with the order,
information of Mackall's retreat, and General Pope's landing and
pursuit. In the evening he abandoned the island with his regiment, and
turned over the command of the island to Captain Humes, of the
artillery. Before daylight of the 8th, Commodore Foote was visited by
two officers from the island, who tendered a surrender of it and all on
it. A gunboat was sent to ascertain the state of affairs. Having learned
three hours later of the crossing of the river by Pope, the flight of
General Mackall, and the evacuation of the shore-batteries, he sent
Colonel Buford, with a force of two gunboats, to receive possession of
the island. Seventeen officers and three hundred and sixty-eight
privates surrendered to him, besides the two hundred sick and employees
turned over to him by Colonel Elliott. Lieutenant-Colonel Cook found his
way through the swamp, on the night of the 7th, to the ferry across
Reelfoot Lake. In the course of the night he was joined by about four
hundred fugitives, mostly belonging to his own regiment, many of them
just from the hospital. Hungry, and cold, and drenched with rain, they
stood in the water waiting till they could be carried over the lake,
through the cypress trees, in two small flatboats and on some
extemporized rafts. It was noon of the 9th before the forlorn band were
all over, and, without knapsacks or blankets, many without arms, began
their weary march for Memphis.

All the troops but Cumming's brigade returned to their camps on the
Missouri shore on the 8th. Colonel Cumming, having charge of the
prisoners, returned on the evening of the 9th. General Pope, in his
final detailed report giving the result of all the operations, states:
"Three generals, two hundred and seventy-three field and company
officers, six thousand seven hundred privates, one hundred and
twenty-three pieces of heavy artillery, thirty-five pieces of field
artillery, all of the very best character and of the latest patterns,
seven thousand stand of small arms, tents for twelve thousand men,
several wharf-boat loads of provisions, an immense quantity of
ammunition of all kinds, many hundred horses and mules, with wagons and
harness, etc., are among the spoils." The capture embraced, besides, six
steamboats--two of them sunk--the gunboat Grampus, carrying two guns,
sunk; and the floating battery, carrying nine guns, which the crew had
ineffectually attempted to scuttle before abandoning it. Two of the
g