Christopher C. Andrews to W. H. Graves, September 2, 1864

Commanding First Brigade:

COLONEL: Agreeable to the verbal instructions given you this afternoon by the brigadier-general commanding, you will again move up White River with the effective force of the Twelfth Michigan Infantry and detachments of Fifty-fourth and Sixty-first [linois, to re-enforce and co-operate with General West against Shelby. The Fourteenth Wisconsin Infantry and Eighty-first Iinois Infantry, also one section of artillery and forty cavalry, will constitute the rest of the force which will accompany you and be under your orders. The gun-boat Fawn, Captain Grace, will go as escort. You will have for transports the steamers Nevada, Commercial, and Celeste. The artillery will embark on the Nevada, and it is already understood that the Fourteenth Wisconsin and Highty-first Mlinois Infantry will also embark on that boat. It is intended to have everything on the boats at 2 o’clock to-night, so there will be a certainty the boats can leave at daylight. I learn that when General West left Searcy it was his intention to go toward Grand Glaize. You will adopt the best means in your power to communicate with him and inform him of what is going on. I expect you will be able to get above the mouth of Little Red River with the transports; above there it will be best to land about twenty of the cavalry on the west side of the river to communicate with General West. Mr. John Thorpe will be a good guide on that side of the river; he will be aboard the Celeste. Mr. McLaren, another guide, for the east side of the river, will report to you. You will go up the river as far as possible, and then land and march on Augusta, unless you learn from General West or other good authority that the enemy is somewhere else, in which case you will march on the enemy. If General West should be at Grand Glaize, and the Celeste, or some other boat, can reach that point and help him cross, the result might be very favorable, allowing that Shelby is near Augusta. If It is in my power I will send along more troops after you. Use every effort to have Shelby suppressed.

Very respectfully,