GRENADA, MISS., December 16, 1861.

Major General LEONIDAS POLK:

Whole force, 1,850 infantry, 56 cavalry, mostly armed with double-barrel guns, but few cartridge-boxes, haversacks, or knapsacks; poorly supplied with ammunition; some guns out or order, but have a smith. One regiment now at Union City. Confederate commissary refuses to subsist the; start another regiment with cavalry to-morrow; another next day, if I succeed in getting tents and transportation. Will you direct the subsistence of my command at Union City. This must be done at once, as the regiment there have no means.

J. L. ALCORN,

[Brigadier-General, Army of Mississippi.]

SPECIAL ORDERS,
HDQRS. SECOND DIVISION, C. A. KY., Numbers 273.
Bowling Green, December 17, 1861.

During the temporary absence of General S. B. Buckner General J. C. Breckinridge assumes command of this division.

JOHN C. BRECKINRIDGE,
Brigadier-General.

WAR DEPARTMENT, C. S. A., Richmond, December 17, 1861.

Brigadier General W. H. CARROLL, Knoxville, Tenn.:

SIR: Your letter of the 13th instant, containing an account of the difficulties which have hitherto prevented the movement of your brigade, has been handed to me by Lieutenant-Colonel Golladay. The principal difficulty seems to be that your regiments are unarmed, and I am unable to discover from your statements that you are much nearer a capacity for movement now than you were two months ago. Your troops are enlisted but for twelve months, and to such troops we never furnish arms. At least one-fourth of the term of your men has passed away, and nearly the entire expenditure of the Government is a dead loss up to the present time. It is impossible for us to carry on a war at such an enormous expenditure as is involved in receiving twelve-months' men without arms. I will allow you till the 10th of January to complete the armament of your regiments, and at that date I shall order all unarmed companies and regiments to be disbanded. Lieutenant-Colonel Golladay has inquired of me in relation to obtaining arms from this Government, but we give none whatever to any but troops enlisted for the war. If your men will now enlist for the war they will be entitled to receive the bounty of $50 allowed by Congress, and I will endeavor to aid in arming them; but, if not, all that are unarmed must be disbanded on the 10th of January.

Your obedient servant,

J. P. BENJAMIN,

Secretary of War.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL'S OFFICE, Knoxville, Tenn., December 17, 1861.

Honorable J. P. BENJAMIN,

Secretary of War, Richmond, Va.:

SIR: I received your letter dated the 10th, and would have answered it sooner, but have ben waiting until I received a statement from