Unknown to Ulysses S. Grant, January 14, 1863

Post of Arkansas, January 14, 1863.

Commanding Department of the Tennessee :

GENERAL: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt this moment of your dispatch of the 10th instant, and hasten to say that in former dispatches I informed you of the repulse of the Mississippi River Expedition, under General Sherman, near Vicksburg; of my assuming command on the 4th instant at Milliken’s Bend; of my departure from that place on the same day; of my arrival at the mouth of White River, and subsequently at Notrib’s Landing, near this place; and of my attack upon and reduction of the Post of Arkansas, on the 11th instant. I am left to infer that these dispatches had not reached you on the 10th instant, but doubtless some if not all of them have reached you since that date.

I have only to add now, in view of your dispatch, that although I had hoped to be able to push my successes farther in this direction I will immediately return with my command to Napoleon, on the Mississippi River, and, unless otherwise ordered, after such brief delay as may be necessary, will return from there to Milliken’s Bend or some other point near Vicksburg, where I will await the arrival of the re-enforcements mentioned by you unless sooner joined by them. ;

In compliance with your instructions I have requested Rear-Admiral Porter to send a gunboat to Memphis to convoy the transports upon which will be borne the re-enforcements on their way to join me.

General Fisk’s brigade, sent by you under orders to join me, was diverted by General Gorman, as I am informed to-day, up the White River. If I can get a gunboat I will immediately send an order for the brigade to join me at Napoleon or wheresoever it may find me.

I am glad to be informed by you that you have anticipated the wants of my command by ordering commissary, ordnance, and other stores to be sent to it. I may say, however, that before leaving the Mississippi River for this place I had dispatched officers connected with each of these departments for such stores.

36 RB R-—VOL XVII, PT I

Having previously communicated my opinion as to the most feasible

plan for the reduction of Vicksburg I will not enlarge upon that subject now. ‘ T find that our success here is more extensive than I at first supposed. So soon as the corps commanders send in their reports, which will probably be soon, I will forward to you a formal report of our operations in advancing upon and reducing the Post. Herewith you will find an approximate estimate of the strength of my command, based upon the reports of corps commanders, which, as the troops are most of the time moving upon the transports, cannot be correct. I will send an accurate statement as soon as it can be obtained.

On December 31, 1862, the number of enlisted men was 27,480; the aggregate, 31,753; deduct from this our loss at Vicksburg and Post of Arkansas, say about 2,000, and there remains an aggregate of about 29,753.

Admiral Porter informs me this very moment that there are two gunboats at Memphis, one of which is ready to convoy the troops down here when you are ready to send them.

JOHN A. McCLERNAND, Major-General, Commanding.