Willis A. Gorman to Major-General CURTIS, January 3, 1863

Major-General CURTIS, Commanding Department of Missouri, Saint Louis :

GENERAL: Yours of December 29, 1862, was received by the hands of General Vandever this day, by which I am informed that you had received my dispatch of the 23d, also my subsequent dispatch of the 25th, by Lieutenant [William M.] Stimpson, and by the latter officer I received yours of December 30, addressed to Colonel Chipman, opened by him, and sent forward on his way to Columbus and Cairo, where he went by special dispatch boat to communicate with you by telegram, and to hasten Genera] Fisk’s brigade from Columbus to this point, if possible. The draft of General Grant upon this force has left me without force enough to attack the enemy at any vital point. The tri-monthly reports sent you show my strength in detail.

The reason I sent 13,000 instead of 12,000 men is explained by the fact that General Blair had a sort of roving commission, and insisted upon taking his entire brigade, and I would have been compelled to break up General Steele’s division or General Blair’s brigade to have made the number exact. As it was, perhaps, after deducting the hangers-on and inefficient, there was not more than a fraction over 12,000. I felt also that it would gratify you that I had so thoroughly responded to General Grant’s wishes, a desire which you had indicated in all your letters.

The stampede about Columbus and on the river above seems to have been: more fussy than formidable. Before any of your guns are spiked in this section. I promise you somebody shall be hurt.

There are now lying at the wharf 25 steamers, 8 loaded with commissary stores and supplies for the army at Vicksburg; 6 traders’ boats ; all the rest ligh€-draught and of small capacity; 1 ordnance boat and commissary boat. I can use the traders’ boats, as I will if necessary. I am shipping to Saint Louis all the condemned mules and horses, extra transportation and surplus yuartermaster’s property, and all the very

14 M. O., ARK., KANS., IND. T., AND DEPT. N. W. (Cuar. XXXIV.

sick enlisted men, so as to clear this post of surplus property and inefficient men. A large portion of the transportation heretofore belonging to General Steele’s division was necessarily left here, and all his surplus camp and garrison equipage.

The supply of coal for steamers is almust exhausted. I have ordered

Helena, Ark., January 3, 1863. Major-General CURTIS, Commanding Department of the Missouri, Saint Louis, Mo.:

GENERAL: You say in your dispatch of the 29th that—

The downward pressure on me and upward pressure on you have weakened us so much that I will not be able to do good in a westerly move till matters improve elsewhere.

By this you are understood to say that I am not to move until I get more forces.

The Thirty-sixth lowa Regiment, detained for a few days at Memphis, have arrived here. In your dispatch of the 30th. you say to Colonel Chipman :

If necessary and possible, General Gorman must assist Memphis or any other point where our line of communications is in dauger, deferring, if need be, all interior

operations from Helena til] we are re-enforced by General Grant, or other arrivals on the river.

In the same dispatch you say:

The Army of the Frontier will have to fall back for supplies, and wait till we can get strength enough to move up the rivers of Arkansas and hold them.

By this you are understood to order me to wait until you are strong enough to move up the Arkansas or White River, because the Army of the Frontier wil] have to fall back for supplies, as no connection can be made by one advancing and the other retiring.

The enemy have a battery of two rifled guns 6 or 7 miles below Napoleon. Iam going down with an armed force to capture it or run them off.

No transports have returned from the fleet below, and I am afraid to let the supplies pass down to our army below without an armed force to protect thom. Rear-Admiral Porter has sent up the gunboat Conestoga to watch and guard from the mouth of White River to Cypress Bend; she is now there cruising. I shall feel that the commissary boats are safer when get them to her.

By your dispatches you are understood to favor the idea of this column moving up White River, as it will the better support this depot. When General Fisk’s or other forces arrive, so as to increase my infantry force to 10,000, I will leave a garrison of 1,000 infantry, 500 cavalry, and a light battery, with part of the mortar fleet, to hold this place, and at once attack and take Saint Charles. And when I c&n have the cooperation of the gunboats up the Arkansas, will attack Old Post. I will immediately inform you when [ get to Saint Charles. I would have preferred to have gone with transports and gunboats up the Arka 1sas and threatened Little Rock, if you had not been so decidedly in favor of the White River for permanent occupation. General A. P. Hovey and General Washburn fully approve this plan. Were it not that the Mississippi was rising very rapidly, and White River very high, I might land at Prairie Landing, which is some 12 or 15 miles from Old Post; but the flat lands for 2 miles are entirely overflowed, making it impossible to debark there. After getting to Saint Charles, if Admiral] Porter sends me gunboats enough, I may find it most desirable to push up my force and take Devall’s Bluff.

I am very impatient to get off, and, but for supporting General Sherman at Vicksburg with such a heavy force, I should have been half way to Little Rock, and this would have compelled the evacuation of Saint Charles, Devall’s Bluff, Cotton Plant, and, in fact, all rebel forces east of the Arkansas River.

Had you not desired to hold this post, I should have left it in care of a gunboat. Before this reaches you, Colone) Chipman will have communicated with you, and given you my views more in detail. Let me hear from you; but I shall move when I get ready without further orders, unless surrounding events prevent or counter orders are received before I get off.

respectfully, your obedient servant,