dear General: I am sorry to report that in spite of my orders and entreaties, our troops are committing depredations that will ruin our cause.
Horses and wagons have been seized, cattle, sheep, hogs, chickens, taken by our men, some of whom wander for miles around.
I am doing and have done all in my power to stop this, but the men are badly disciplined and give little heed to my orders or those of their own regimental officers.
We have received no accessions from the country, and I have only a few weak, scattered camps, such as
Curran Pope's at New Haven, and
General Ward's at
Greenburg.
Of course, the chief design of our occupying
Muldraugh's Hill was to afford an opportunity for the people to organize and arm, but I can not learn that such is the case.
A great many people come into our camps, take the oath of allegiance and go away.
I have no doubt spies could enter our camp and we can not conceal the strength of our command.
Although
Buckner is not at
Green River he has many locomotives and cars there, and can march from there in a day or a day and a half, and I feel uneasy about our communications.
The Home Guards have all returned, leaving us whom they deem outsiders alone, and the whole country would raise round about us, leaving us with an ambush all the way. To be effective, a force here should be very large, too large to be attacked in position.
As to us we could make a good fight, but would soon be starved out. I know how you are situated and will do my best, and only want you not to draw too strong inferences from the destruction of the
Green River bridges.
This was, no doubt, intended as an obstruction to our advance, until other designs of their's were completed, but as soon as
Buckner is ready, he will surely advance on
Elizabethtown where he lives.
I hear nothing of
Thomas' moves or those at
Paducah.
Our lines are broken and I have sent down to examine.
