I hope General Gorman will give you no difficulty about retaining the troops on this side the river, and Steele to command them.

The twenty-one thousand men you have, with the twelve thousand from Helena, will make a good force.

The enemy are as yet on the Yalabusha.

I am pushing down on them slowly, but so as to keep up the impression of a continuous move.

I feel particularly anxious to have the Helena cavalry on this side of the river; if not now, at least after you start.