are at Ironton, or in the vicinity, and the remainder of the regiment will proceed there as soon as it is fully organized. General McClellan has also placed the remainder of General Pope's brigade at the disposal of General Lyon. No more troops will be called for at present, but there may hereafter be occasion for a large force, with artillery and cavalry, in the southeastern counties.

As soon as General Lyon's plan of campaign developed itself the secessionists in the southeast began to organize their forces. They have hitherto been met, as well as possible, by expeditions from Cairo and from this place, and by Home Guards organized and armed under General Lyon's authority. These expeditions were necessarily confined to temporary visits to disaffected regions, and have accomplished little. The whole of the southeast requires permanent occupancy by our troops, as it contains more enemies than any other portion of the State. Apart from this, information has been and is received here daily from different sources, including the reports of our own scouts, who have gone as far as Pocahontas, Ark., that our disloyal citizens are being armed with Baton Rouge muskets, brought up the White River, and troops from Tennessee and Arkansas are concentrating in the vicinity of the State line. These reports differ as to numbers, but agree in all other important particulars. It is apparent that the enemy design an invasion of the southeastern portion of the State with a considerable force, and rely upon the inhabitants of the swamp counties for active co-operation. The country in the lower part of Scott County and in Stoddard, Dunklin, Mississippi, Pemiscot, New Madrid, and Butler Counties is what is known familiarly as the "earthquake country," having been turned from prairie into swamp land by the earthquake of 1811. It is a country as difficult to overrun, if held by hostile people, as the Florida Everglades, and the bear-hunters of that region will be hostile the moment that an advancing column of the rebels enters it.

The troops sent to Cape Girardeau and to Greenville are not designed to enter the swamp country, but to hold the approaches by which an advancing enemy must pass, and to overawe and to keep down the organization of hostile bands of our own citizens, as well as to encourage, organize, and distribute arms to those who are loyal. Time will show how much this force will have to be increased. There is no occasion for immediately re-enforcement. I will send a communication upon another subject by this mail.

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

CHESTER HARDING, Jr.,

Assistant Adjutant-General, Missouri Volunteers.

SAINT LOUIS ARSENAL, MO., July 7, 1861.

General L. THOMAS,

Adjutant-General, Washington, D. C.:

SIR: I wish to call your attention to a matter which needs speedy action on the part of Congress.

Before the call for the Convention which met in this State on February 28th last, citizens of Saint Louis organized and partially armed themselves with the intent to hold the city and county true to the Government, without regard to the remainder of the State.

In addition to furnishing troops for four regiments of volunteers, who entered the service for three months immediately after the President's