Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Chapter XXII: Operations in Kentucky, Tennessee, North Mississippi, North Alabama, and Southwest Virginia. March 4-June 10, 1862., Part II: Correspondence, Orders, and Returns.
Lieut. Col. Robert N. Scott, Ed.

[438] directs that he be furnished with $15,000 for the wants of his expedition. As there may be no bonded quartermaster with him, you are authorized and instructed to take his official receipt for the same. You may turn over to him, as a part of said sum, the sum of $1,000 turned over to you the other day by Capt. John Adams.

Respectfully, your obedient servant,

dear Commodore: I herewith submit the following suggestions for your consideration touching a matter of great moment at this time:

Fort Randolph, as you are aware, having been once fortified, I am advised only requires mounting the guns to make it almost, if not quite, as strong as Fort Pillow. The enemy's gunboats have to pass it within 400 yards under a plunging fire, at a point where three rifled guns could command the reach within their range, as they have to steer straight for the guns. There is a point 4 miles below that could be fortified, it is said, to any extent, needing the guns only.

If the guns cannot be procured for the purposes above indicated might they not be advantageously taken from your gunboats, which it is said are very frail in comparison with those of the enemy, and would not, I apprehend, endure a long encounter with them; besides, we should lose the guns, which might otherwise be effectively employed at Fort Randolph.

The guns could be mounted and manned by the Navy. I am told the Livingston mounts six guns, and is entirely unprotected; the Pontchartrain, seven; the Polk, four; the Maurepas, three; the Jay, two; the McRae, seven. All these boats, mere shells, it seems, opposed, at present, to seven iron-clad gunboats averaging from ten to twenty guns each. Should these boats pass Fort Pillow, as one did at No. 10, during a dark and stormy night, there is nothing to prevent their going to Memphis.

The approach to Fort Randolph by land is said to be as difficult, if not more so, than to Fort Pillow, and it would stand a bombardment from mortars or gunboats better. Our boats could land one at a time, and mount the batteries without losing the effect of their presence at Fort Pillow, and your ample experience in constructing land batteries would insure their early efficiency.

Hoping the foregoing views will be duly considered by you, I am, yours, very truly,

sir: The commanding general having received information that a large band of Unionists en route to Kentucky crossed the Clinch River