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HDQRS. CAVALRY DIVISION, SIXTEENTH ARMY CORPS, Memphis, Tenn., May 2, 1864.

Major W. H. MORGAN,

Assistant Adjutant-General:

MAJOR: In obedience to the request of the major-general commanding, I beg leave to submit the following for the information of Major General W. T. Sherman:

The number of horses and mules captured during the expedition under Brigadier General W. Sooy Smith, and which were reported by the several regimental and brigade quartermasters to my DIVISION quartermaster, instead of being 4,000 amounts to less than 1,000. A large proportion of the animals captured upon that expedition were mules. These were all ordered to be sifted out of the command and turned over upon the return of the expedition.

The THIRD Brigade, composed of the Second, THIRD, and Fourth Tennessee, and Fifth Kentucky Cavalry and Seventy-second Indiana Mounted Infantry and the Fourth United States Cavalry, which were brought from Nashville by General Smith, was, immediately upon the return of the expedition, ordered back to Nashville, thus taking about 2,500 animals from this command. Besides these the battalion of the Second Illinois and the First Alabama Cavalry, in all over 500 horses, have been ordered away from my command, and the Seventh Tennessee, with over 200 horses, which were included in my reports, were captured at Union City. The horses of the THIRD, Sixth, and Seventh Illinois Cavalry were, by order of Major-General Hurlbut, appraised, and such as were selected by the board were purchased by the Government. The balance, unserviceable, were allowed to be disposed of to private parties, thus relieving the command of about 1,000 horses, which were reported with the number of animals and taken upon General Smith's expedition.

In this connection I beg leave to state, that although the horses of the command were generally in good condition upon our arrival at WEST Point, February 20, 1864 (as I marched in rear of the column almost entirely during the return, I know what I assert to be true), that the road from WEST Point, Miss., to here was literally strewn with dead and abandoned animals in consequence of the rapidity of the gait with which we returned, and hundreds of horses died after we had reached this point.

Besides the THIRD Brigade, Second Illinois, First Alabama, and Seventh Tennessee Cavalry being taken away from my command at the time of the writing of General Sherman's letter, there were three- quarters of eight regiments and above one-half of the Ninth of my command absent upon veteran furloughs, thus reducing the effective strength in men to what my reports have shown.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

B. H. GRIERSON,

Brigadier-General.