much nearer. Can you send me by mail a good map of Tennessee. I can get none here.

Yours, truly,

H. W. HALLECK.

FEBRUARY 15, 1862.

General McCLELLAN:

I fear the accumulation of rolling stock by the way of Green River would be slow, but may be important and worth the effort. I will look into it.

The gauge of this road is different from that of most of the roads in the West. I know the importance of time, and shall try not to waste any. We are certainly busy now. I am moving nearly my whole force on Bowling Green, because that is anoint from which we can move to any position of the enemy in advance, and because it possesses more facilities for the formation of a depot than any other inland. My troops are disposed as follows: Mitchel's division at Bowling Green; McCook's division will be there Wednesday, unless it shall be found necessary to stop him this side for supplies; Wood's division at Bowling Green; McCook's division will be there Wednesday, unless it shall be found necessary to stop him this side for supplies; Wood's division at Munfordville, just having concentrated there from the Somerset line; Thomas' division is now passing through Lebanon from Somerset toward Bowling Green via Bardstown and New Haven; Boyle's brigade, moving from Columbia, will be at Edmonton to-night on the way to Glasgow. My cavalry is mostly on Green River. It cannot at present go beyond reach of the railroad. The whole country in advance is a waste.

Carter's column, consisting of six regiments of infantry, one battery (six pieces) and five companies of cavalry at London, should in a few days be advancing on Cumberland Gap. Garfield's brigade, consisting of five regiments of infantry and eight companies of cavalry, is on the Sandy at Piketon, and moving to drive Marshall's thinned ranks away from the headwaters of Kentucky River at Whitesburg. He reports the most favorable change in the disposition of the people in the region the most favorable change in the disposition of the people in the region where he is. The people give evidence of loyalty. Large parties of deserters from Marshall's ranks are returning in penitence and destitution to their homes.

The above shows the disposition of the main or available force. The rest, in small commands, occupies various points on routes, thus: One regiment at Somerset; one regiment and two sections of artillery at Jamestown, on the Cumberland; one at Columbia, and others distributed to guard bridges, &c. I shall very soon concentrate these somewhat as we move forward and take new positions. I have not included the re-enforcements I have sent to Halleck, that is, in all, twenty-four regiments and three batteries, including Nelson's division just going off and eight regiments from Ohio and Indiana. You know, though the people do not seem to, that armies with the appliances which are necessary to make them successful cannot move over dirt roads in the winter with quite as much facility as a man takes the cars at Washington and goes to Baltimore. We hope, and I may even say expect, to get to Nashville, and the more speedily we can do it the better.

You may, and I think will, have to send more troops, in assuming, what is probable, that the enemy will do so; but that does not apply to my present plans. I will write you soon more definitely about that. I look now, as I have said, to Nashville as the first point to be aimed for, but while we are preparing circumstances in Grant's position may make it necessary to move upon Clarksville. Of that it is not possible to