Samuel R. Curtis to Willis A. Gorman, January 24, 1863

Brig. Gen. WILLIS A. GORMAN, Commanding District of Eastern Arkansas :

GENERAL: Your dispatch from Devall’s Bluff is duly received. I congratulate you and your command on your success.

I apprehended trouble at different points on White River, but you must have overcome all of them. If we can retain one or two gunboats on White River, and your force can be united with other forces on this side, we can soon clean out Northern Arkansas. But the Vicksburg matter is of primary importance, and before this reaches you I may not have you within a hundred miles of my command. The taking of the forts on both the Arkansas and White Rivers is a complete success, so far, in my general plan of the Arkansas campaign. The only trouble is the necessity of withdrawing forces for Vicksburg that I would like to move still farther, so as to join my frontier and southeastern armies, neither of which can proceed until they are certain of receiving supplies by those rivers.

I am, general, very truly,

your obedient servant,