B. P. Chenowith to H. W. Halleok, June 30, 1862

Maj. Gen. H. W. HALLEOK, Commanding Department of the Mississippi :

GENERAL: About a week ago I was appointed provost-marshal of this town by Col. G. W. Deitzler, commanding. Since that time my attention has been called to innumerable outrages committed by our troops, especially the First Brigade, under Brig. Gen. Robert B. Mitchell, in passing through this country.

An irregular and perfectly unwarrantable system of foraging is carried on by many of the regiments, which is greatly exasperating some of the inhabitants.

A party under the command of a sergeant or wagon-master goes into the country ar.d takes corn and hay, giving the owner a receipt, of which the following is « specimen :

TRENTON, TENN., June 23, 1862.

WILLIAM ROSS, Wagon-master Second Battalion, Second Illinois Cavalry.

Received of Jtobert Green 117 bushels of corn.

The original is written in pencil. The country is absolutely full of such papers, which are the only vouchers the owners have for their property. Hundreds of receipts have been presented here within the last week, and among them I have not seen one in proper form.

The brigade quartermaster of General Mitchell has along with him two citizens who sometimes sign the papers of that quartermaster.

The Second Kansas Battery in going through this place turned their horses into a grass lot in town and went off without giving any receipts.

While General Mitchell’s brigade was near Union City, at the farm of the mother of the Hon. Emerson Etheridge, a party of men from the Seventh Kansas, Jennison’s cavalry, under the charge of Capt. M. J. Parrott, assistant adjutant-general, were out from camp for some purposc and met a funeral procession with the remains of a respectable widow lady of the neighborhood, and, unmindful of the remonstrances of Mr. Parrott, stopped the procession and demanded what they had in the wagon. Being told that it was a dead woman, tl.ey burst the coffin and examined the contents and then left, saying, ‘Go on with your d—d secession b—.” This was reported to General Mitchell, but he took no measures to punish it.

Your order excluding negroes from the lines was recently recalled to the troops of that brigade by an order from General Quinby. When the order arrived General Mitchell was absent, and Lieutenant-Colonel Anthony, commanding Seventh Kansas, was temporarily in command of the brigade.

Colonel Anthony had the order read at dress-parade, and then another of his own, threatening punishment to any officer or soldier who should dare to obey yours, and when General Mitchell returned he took no notice of it, so that Anthony’s order still stands on the books of the brigade as law. He himself boasted of this to me a few days ago. On Tuesday night, June 24, 1862, a party of cavalry soldiers belonging to Mitchell’s brigade—his were the only troops in the vicinity—weunt to the house of a widow lady, residing not far from this place, Mrs. Emily open the door they burst it open; they then demanded her money speaking in a most abusive and insulting manner. She gave them all she had, and then they searched the wardrobe for more. Leaving the house they told her that if she informed of the affair they would return and burn her son and herself to death in her own house. They then went to a field and took two horses, all she had, and drove them off.

I believe it was the same night that a party roused the family of a Mr. Harper, residing about 5 miles from this place. They ordered him to open the door and demanded his money. He had $500, which he gave cage After abusing his daughter with rough language they departed.

A Mr. Davis, of this town, one of the oldest citizens and a staunch, outspoken Union man from the beginning, had three valuable negroes taken from him by Jennison’s men when they were through here.

I beg leave to submit these plain statements of facts which have come under my own observation within the last two weeks.

I have the honor to be, general, your most obedient servant,