at me very hard—“I hope there is no real reason.”

southwesterly to a point midway between Rienzi and Booneville, and

then northwesterly to the Hatchie River. Skirmishes between outposts

on this line were of frequent occurrence, with small results to

either side, but they were somewhat annoying, particularly in the

direction of Ripley, where the enemy maintained a considerable

outpost. Deciding to cripple if not capture this outpost, on the

evening of July 27, I sent out an expedition under Colonel Hatch,

which drove the enemy from the town of Ripley and took a few