669.] but I believe that McClellan caused the proceedings to be quashed to avoid scandal, and Benham was transferred to another department.

It is very improbable that Schenck's contemplated movement across New River at Townsend's Ferry could have been made successfully; for his boats were few and small, and the ferrying would have been slow and tedious.

Floyd would pretty surely learn of it soon after it began, and would hasten his retreat instead of waiting to be surrounded.

It would have been better to join Schenck to Benham by a forced march as soon as the latter was at the mouth of Loup Creek, and then to push the whole to the Fayette and Raleigh road, Rosecrans leading the column in person.

As Floyd seems to have been ignorant of what was going on in Loup Creek valley, decisive results might have followed from anticipating him on his line of retreat.