ARMY OPERATIONS. 



51 



soon as possible, and Capt. G. S. Dana, of my staff, 

 the bearer of this communication, is authorized to 

 make such arrangements therefor as may be conven- 

 ient, and a horse car or ambulance will be sent for 

 the wounded, at such times as may be designated, 

 should this proposal be acceded to. 



The body of Col. C. W. Fribley was left on the 

 field at Olustee. If there have been any means of 

 identifying his person, I request that his grave may 

 be so marked, that at some future day his family may 

 be able to remove his remains. 

 I am, General, very respectfully, 

 Your obedient servant, 



T. SEYMOUR, 



Brigadier-General Commanding. 

 To the General commanding the Confederate forces 

 in Florida. 



HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT EAST FLORIDA, ) 

 BALDWIN, FLA., Feb. 24, 1S64. f 



Brig. -Gen. T. Seymour, Commanding United States 



forctf, Jacksonville: 



GENERAL: I have the honor to acknowledge the 

 receipt of your communication of the 23d inst., pro- 

 posing ''that the wounded prisoners left by you on 

 the field of battle, at Ocean Pond, on the 20th inst., 

 be paroled and sent within your lines, and request- 

 ing that, if the body of Col. C. W. Fribley, left on 

 the ground, can be identified, that his grave be 

 marked, so that at some future day his family may 

 be able to remove his remains." 



In reply, I have to state that the wounded prison- 

 ers have been sent forward and properly taken care 

 of, and will be kept to await the future action of my 

 Government in reference to a general exchange of 

 prisoners. 



I regret to state that the body of Col. Fribley has 

 not been identified. 



Very respectfully, vour ob't serv't, 



JOSEPH FIXEGAX. 

 Brigadier-General Commanding. 



HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OP FLORIDA, D. S., \ 

 .IAI KSONVILLE, FLA., Feb. 'Jo. 1*04. )" 



GENERAL : Xotwithstanding the information con- 

 tained in your communication of the 24th inst , re- 

 specting the body of the late Col. Fribley, that it 

 has not been identified, I have the honor to nrue 

 that measures be taken to ascertain the possession of 

 some of the articles upon his person, with a view to 

 the return of some of them to his widow, at this 

 place. The accompanying memorandum may serve 

 to assist in whatever investigation you may decide 

 to institute. 



And I feel assured that whatever can be done by 

 you to mitigate the sorrow that is the lot of a most 

 deserving and greatly suffering lady, will be cheer- 

 fully accorded. 



And any remuneration that may be desired or 

 necessary to procure any part of the personal me- 

 morials mentioned in this memorandum, will be duly 

 forwarded to the parties having them in possession. 



I have further to request, if the arrangement can 

 be made, that Mrs. Fribley herself, accompanied by 

 the adjutant of the late colonel, may be permitted to 

 pass within your lines, in the hope of obtaining 

 more information than can perhaps otherwise be an- 

 ticipated. 



The circumstances of this contest will certainly 

 not be injuriously affected by such a concession to 

 humanity. 



Respectfully, your obedient servant, 



T. SEYMOUR, Brig.-Gen. Commanding. 

 Brig.-Gen. Joseph Finegan, Commanding Confed- 

 erate forces East Florida. 



HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT EASTERN FLORIDA, I 

 February 26, 1S64. ) 



GENERAL : I have the honor to acknowledge the 

 receipt of your communication of the 25th inst., and 

 to reply that I will cause the proper inquiries to be 

 made to obtain the information sought for in your 



letter, and will, as soon as practicable, forward you 

 a reply by flag of truce 



I regret to say that I consider it at present objec- 

 tionable, for reasons which it is needless for me to 

 state, but which will doubtless be appreciated by 

 yourself, to grant a permit for Mrs. Fribley and the 

 adjutant of her late husband's regiment to visit the 

 battle-field of Ocean Pond. At a future day these 

 obstacles may be removed. 



I am, very respectfullv, vour obedient servant, 

 (Signed) "JOSEPH FIXEGAX, 



Brigadier-General Commanding. 

 Brig.-Gen. T. Seymour, Commanding United States 



forces Jacksonville, Florida. 



HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT SOUTH CAROLINA. I 

 GEORGIA AND FLORIDA, March 4, 1864. ) 



District of Florida headquarters, forces in the field. 



GENERAL : In further reply to your communication 

 of the 25th of February, 1SG4, f have the honor to 

 forward through you to the widow of the late Col. 

 Fribley, an ambrotype, supposed to be the one re- 

 ferred to in the memorandum accompanying your 

 communication. 



Traces have also been discovered of his watch, a 

 letter from his wife to himself, and his diary, and 

 steps have been taken to recover possession of them. 

 If successful, the two former articles will be for- 

 warded. 



That I may not be misunderstood, it is due to my- 

 self to state "that no sympathy with the fate of any 

 officer commmnding negro troops, but compassion 

 for a widow in grief, has induced these efforts to re- 

 cover for her relics which she must naturally value. 



Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 



(Signed) " W. M. GARDXER, 



Brigadier-General Commanding. 

 To Brigadier-General T. SEYMOUR, 



Comm'g United States forces, Jacksonville, Fla. 



A small Federal force remained at Jackson- 

 ville for several months, and many raids in dif- 

 ferent directions were made. (See FLORIDA.) 

 Xo important military operations took place. 

 The movement to reorganize the State ceased 

 after the battle at Olustee. 



Early in the year, a concentration of forces 

 at Xew Orleans commenced. To these were 

 added a portion of the forces of Gen. Sherman. 

 After his return to Vicksburg from his expe- 

 dition to Meridian, a considerable body of his 

 troops moved to join Gen. Bank;!, while the 

 division of Gen. A. J. Smith remained at 

 Vicksburg, ready to cooperate. It was the 

 purpose of Gen. Banks to open the region of 

 Western Louisiana to trade, and scatter or de- 

 stroy the forces of the enemy. During only 

 the months of March and April the Red River 

 has sufficient water to be navigable by the 

 largest vessels. 



In the beginning of the month of March, 

 the division of Gen. Franklin, who formerly 

 held a command in the army of the Potomac, 

 moved from New Orleans by the railroad to 

 Brashear City, thence along the Bayou Teche 

 and Opelousas, to Alexandria. This was sub- 

 stantially the same route as was taken by the 

 army in the previous year, under Gen. Banks. 

 (See ANNUAL CLTCLOP^DIA, 18G3, ARMY OP- 

 ERATIONS.) In the mean time the most formi- 

 dable fleet ever seen in the western waters had 

 been collected under Rear- Admiral Porter, at 

 the mouth of the Red River. It consisted of 

 twenty powerful armed steamers of all classes, 



