Bayou Grand Caillou, on the night of the 23d instant. Captain Moore, as you are aware, had been for some time ferreting out the smuggling going on at the mouth of this bayou, assisted by a man whom I had employed by the name of Todd. They returned from an expedition of that kind and reported to me that their identity had been discovered and that they had failed and barely escaped with their lives. Indeed I do not believe they would have allowed them to escape had it not been for the shrewdness and ingenuity of Mr. Todd. They reported that there was one Whitfield there who they were satisfied was some kind of a Confederate agent. My impression from their report and other information was that he was a rebel recruiting officer picking up such persons as were frightened off by our enrollment. I inclose Captain Moore's report made to me, marked A, Mr. Todd's report, marked B,* for the general's information. While I was digesting in my mind what steps further to pursue with this troublesome section of the country I received information from Mr. Decker, a scout whom you will remember the general sent to me and who is invaluable here, that Lieutenant Shafer had left the rebel camp with a party in boats via Bayou Salle and it was believed that he intended to make a raid upon the merchants of Houma by way of Grand Caillou. I immediately dispatched the company of cavalry stationed at Terre Bonne to Houma and sent Captain Moore with his company from this place to follow. I ordered him when he had arrived at Houma to take command of both companies and make a reconnaissance down the bayou; to destroy the smuggling crafts and to arrest any rebel recruiting officers or agents found there. I inclose a copy of the order given him marked C.* After he had been gone a few days I heard by rumor that Captain Moore, his officers and men, had seized a quantity of Louisiana rum and were on a drunken spree, committing various depredations, and that one of his men had attempted to rape a mulatto girl and had shot and killed her for resisting. I immediately sent a messenger with an order to Captain Moore to return; a copy is inclosed marked D. The messenger found the officers gone, but the senior sergeant opened the order and returned with the command. The sergeant reported that Captain Moore had taken all the officers with him, a sergeant and six men, in an open boat and had been absent from his command for four days, when he (the sergeant) started to return. His report is inclosed, marked E.

Yesterday evening I received from Lieutenant Thrall, commanding the guard at Houma, the inclosed report, marked F, which gives the final solution to this unfortunate affair. It appears that Captain Moore with the balance of his officers abandoned their command in a state of intoxication on the evening of the 23d and was led by Raymond Luke to the camp of a rebel officer and his recruiting party and fell an easy prey. How Captain Moore could destroy Raymond Luke's smuggling boat as he did and then take him the same night for a guide can only be explained by his intoxication. But it appears that he allowed Luke to cover him with his blandishments and protestations of friendship and lead him and his party into the very arms of this insignificant but vigilant party of rebels; and it further appears from letters written by Captain Moore to his company, which Luke brought back with him, that Luke made him believe that it was all right and the affair only accidental. I believe that this Luke knew that this Captain Jefferson, who must belong to either the Twenty-sixth or Twenty-eighth Louisiana, stationed at Alexandria, was there recruiting,

* Omitted, it being substantially the same as Moore's report.
Not found.

and that it was a plan laid by Luke with Jefferson to get these officers drunk, decoy, and capture them. I have no further proof against this Luke than the circumstances of the case and his notorious character. But having seen him, analyzed, and read him, I would, if I were allowed to use my own judgment alone, send him to Fort Jefferson for the balance of the war without trial. I have the murderer Hilton in custody and he will be tried for murder.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

R. A. CAMERON, Brigadier-General of Volunteers, Commanding District.

Capt. FREDERIC SPEED,

Assistant Adjutant-General, Defenses of New Orleans.

[Inclosure.]

HDQRS. Co. D, SIXTEENTH INDIANA MOUNTED INFTY.,

Thibodeaux, La., November 10, 1864. SIR: In compliance with Special Orders, No. 196, dated headquarters District of La Fourche, Thibodeaux, La., October 5, 1864, detaching me on special duty, acting on private instructions from headquarters District of La Fourche, I have the honor herewith to submit the following report:

Receiving my instructions to go to Bayou Grand Caillou to detect smugglers, having made the necessary preparations I started on the night of the 6th of October, traveling some twenty-five miles south of Houma. I found a man by the name of Hancock, who lives on Bayou Grand Caillou. I stopped at his house to get dinner and have my horse fed. I told him that I was a refugee and wanted to get out of the Yankee lines. I asked him if there was any way by which a man could get through and cross the bay. He told me that there was a boat going across every few days, and if I would wait a few days that I could get across. I told him that I was afraid that the Yankees would get me. He said there was no danger for they never came that far down the bayou, and if they did come he would hide me away. Finding that he was all right, I made myself known as George W. Waldon, of New Orleans, and was a traveling agent for the Southern Aid Society, and that I had on hand a large lot of clothing for the Confederate soldiers, and I wished to get them across by this route if there was any means by which I could do so. Hancock told me that Mr. Raymond Luke and Joseph Wasser had boats and were in the business, but I could not get to see them, as Luke was at Houma and Wasser was across the bay; but if I would wait until morning I would see Luke, as he was looking for him home. I remained there until next day and Mr. Luke did not return. His brother, Battice Luke, came across the bayou; he told me that he and his brother and some of the neighbors would give me all the assistance I wanted if I could get my goods to Houma. Battice Luke also told me that his brother, Raymond Luke, had taken goods across into the Confederacy and had made $2,000 off one boat load, and that he could afford to pay $400 or $500 for a permit to run his boat in Grand Caillou. He also said that his brother, Raymond Luke, had a permit from the rebel general commanding on the west side of the bay to bring his goods into the rebel lines and return back with his boat.

After having learned all this, and making the necessary arrangements for shipping, I returned to camp, and about the 15th of October I went back again. I found Mr. Hancock at home. He told me that 59 R R-VOL XLI, PT I

the boat had left for the other side of the bay the day before. He also told me that Mr. Raymond Luke was in Houma yet; that he made Houma his headquarters to keep down suspicion, for the damned Yankee spies were watching him very close. I told Hancock that I had my goods at Terre Bonne Station; he appeared very well pleased, and told me that his son-in-law, Joseph Wasser, would take them across the bay for me if I could get them to some point on Bayou Grand Caillou, where they could be shipped by water. He also told me that Mr. Blanchard was a good rebel and would do everything in his power to assist me in getting my goods across. I then went to see Mr. Blanchard; he told me that he had been in the business, but was not at the present time. I then told him that as he was not in the business I hoped he would not expose me, to which he replied, no, but that he would give me all the assistance in his power. I left him with that understanding and returned to Hancock's, who told me that Mr. Blanchard's boat had previous to that run the blockade. I then renewed with Mr. Hancock my previous contract and arrangements in regard to shipping goods across the bay. I was to get my goods to an old warehouse in Grand Caillou, where the boats were to come in to receive them. With this understanding I left him and returned to camp again. About the 25th of October I went to see Mr. Hancock again. This time I was in company of Mr. Todd, whom I introduced as my partner (having spoken of him in the presence of Mr. Hancock before), and being at Morganza Bend in the same business. According to promise I had not come to time by two or three days. Mr. Hancock wanted to know why I was delayed. I told him that my partner, Mr. Todd, whom I introduced as Williams, had got into trouble at Morganza Bend, and I had to go and assist in getting him out. He then wanted to know if I had succeeded in getting my goods to Houma. I told him that as we had lost a great many goods, I was afraid to bring them down until things became a little quiet; so I thought that I and my partner would come down and see how things were going on on the bayou. He told me that everything was quiet, and that if we had our goods there, we could take them across, for there was a boat going across next day. Mr. Wasser was present and I had a talk with him. He told me that he would take the goods at any time that I could be able to get them to the bayou. Mr. Hancock also told me that Mr. Raymond Luke was at Houma yet; we then made arrangements with Mr. Hancock and Mr. Wasser for them to take the goods, and Mr. Williams was to go with them. There was also a young man there by the name of Whitfield that said he was an escaped prisoner from New Orleans. Mr. Hancock was keeping this man about his house until there was a boat going across, so that he could get through the lines. After making all the necessary arrangements for shipping goods with Mr. Wasser we returned to camp.

On the 8th of November Mr. Williams and myself went to Mr. Hancock's house again. On arriving at his house we found him at his dinner; as soon as we stepped in the house we saw that there was something wrong. On inquiry we learned that he had suspected who we were. He told us there had been a telegram sent from Houma the night before that there were some Yankee spies coming down Bayou Grand Caillou, and for them to be on the lookout. We then inquired of him where Mr. Wasser and Mr. Whitfield were. He first told me they had gone across, but after talking for some time we found out to the contrary; that they were only about a mile down the bayou at Joseph Wasser's house. We got into a boat and took a boy for a pilot. When we came in sight of the house we saw a small schooner. The boy spoke

up and said she was the blockade runner. We also saw Mr. Wasser and Mr. Whitfield leave the house and take to the woods, Mr. Whitfield climbing a tree and with his glass was looking up the bayou. On landing in front of the house we went ashore, inquired for Mr. Wasser, and a strange man told us that he was in the woods chopping near by. We asked him to go for Mr. Wasser, which he did. Mr. Wasser came, looking somewhat surprised and alarmed. We inquired of him for Mr. Whitfield. He said that Mr. Whitfield was in the woods near by. We asked him to go and tell him that we wished to see him. Whitfield came, looking somewhat excited, with his glass in his hand. We asked him if he had been across yet; he replied no, and said that he had been waiting for the last three days for the wind to go down so that he could go across. We then asked him when he was going across; he looked somewhat excited and said he did not know. We asked him if he could get a cart and horse to bring a trunk of goods from Houma, as we had succeeded in getting them that far. He told us he thought not, as there was no horse and cart to be had. We then continued the conversation, talking over our former arrangements. He told us we had better wait until he went across and got us a permit to ship. After talking for some little time we saw three or four strange men coming in from around the house. Mr. Whitfield then proposed that we should stay all night, as it was getting late, and in the morning we would make some arrangement about getting our goods from Houma. I and my partner did not like the way things were going, so we thought we had better get away. We got into the boat and went up the bayou to Hancock's. While going up the bayou we looked on the other side and saw Battice Luke on horseback watching us. We landed our boat in front of Hancock's house, went ashore, and talked the matter over to ourselves. We saw that we were betrayed and had better do the best we could, so we told Hancock we were going up the bayou to Mr. Cornell's to see Jackson and try to get him to send to Houma and get our trunk. Arriving at Mr. Cornell's and taking supper, we told Jackson, the overseer, that we were going up to Mr. Blanchard's to see him. Going up the bayou some two miles we thought they would be likely to follow us, so we took our horses back in the woods some distance from the road, then crept up in the grass close to the roadside. We had not been there long until three men rode by; they went a short distance above us and surrounded a house, but not finding us there they crossed the bridge and went up the bayou, and in about two hours they returned, going back down the bayou. We remained there until morning and then went up the bayou to Ernest Lambert's, and of him we borrowed a revolver; then went back to Hancock's again, and on arriving there we found no person at the house. We returned to camp again. This is a full statement of the facts connected with the detection.

In order that you may more fully understand the country and locality in which these smugglers live, I make the following statement: Mr. Hancock lives on Bayou Grand Caillou below Pelton's plantation; the locality of his house is such that it is impossible to get there either on foot or on horseback except by one road leading down the bayou. Mr. Wasser lives about one mile below Mr. Hancock's on the bayou, and it is impossible to get there except by water. Mr. Raymond Luke and brother, Battice Luke, live one mile below Wasser's, on the opposite side of the bayou, and it is impossible to get to these houses only by one road leading down the bayou. My opinion is, in order to arrest this band of thieves and smugglers it will be necessary to blockade the mouth of Bayou Grand Caillou so as to prevent them from going

across into the Southern lines, and also a squad of cavalrymen be sent down Bayou Grand Caillou as far as Hancock's, there dismounting and going by water down the bayou to Wasser's and Luke's. I would also say they can run their boats out in little bayous and inlets that lead back into the sea marsh, so that it would be impossible for them to be found, only by those who hid them. This is a true statement of the facts as I know them to be.

Your most obedient servant,

COLUMBUS MOORE,

Captain Company D, Sixteenth Indiana Mounted Infantry.

Capt. B. B. CAMPBELL, Assistant Adjutant-General.

No. 2.

Report of Lieut. Eugene S. Thrall, Sixtieth Indiana Infantry.

HOUMA, November 29, 1864. GENERAL: The boat in which Captains Moore and Stevenson, Lieutenant Jordan and seven men of Sixteenth Indiana Volunteers proceeded down Grand Caillou has been brought back by Mr. Raymond Luke, whom Captain Moore took with him for a pilot. Luke reports that the party (of Captains Moore and Stevenson, Lieutenant Jordan and the rest) were captured on the night of the 23d instant by one Captain Jefferson, of the rebel army, and ten men, who sent the prisoners across the bay toward Franklin, and then allowed him (Luke) to return home with the boat. Luke also reports the officers and men intoxicated and noisy at the time of their capture.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

EUGENE S. THRALL,

First Lieut., Comdg. Company E, Sixtieth Indiana Vols. [Brig. Gen. R. A. CAMERON,

Commanding District of La Fourche.]

No. 3.

Report of Sergt. John Simms, Company E, Sixteenth Indiana Infantry.

THIBODEAUX, LA., November 28, 1864.

SIR: In compliance with instructions from the general commanding the district, I have the honor to submit the following report of the doings of the scouting party under the command of Captain Moore, so far as the same has come to my knowledge:

On Saturday morning, November 19, Company E, Lieutenant Jordan in command, marched from Terre Bonne, and arrived at Houma about 3 p. m. of the same day. Here Captain Stevenson assumed command of the company. About dark of the same day Company D, Sixteenth Indiana, Captain Moore, arrived and we bivouacked for the night. On Sunday morning, the 20th, the detachment marched to Bayou Grand Caillou, as I understood the name, and down the bayou to a Government plantation occupied by a Mr. Lambert. At this point the wagons were left with a guard and the march resumed to a point about two miles farther. Here Captain Moore sent Captain Stevenson with his company across the bayou. The march was continued with a company on each side of the bayou. Company E marched about three