quarters a day or two since with a duplicate of your letter of the 12th instant. On being questioned, he admitted that he belonged to your service; that he had come in citizen's dress from Springfield, avoiding some of our military posts and passing through others in disguise, and without reporting himself to the commander. He said that he had done this by your direction. On being asked for his flag of truce, he pulled from his pocket a dirty handkerchief with a short stick tied to one corner.

You must be aware, general, that persons so sent through our lines and past our military posts to these headquarters are liable to the punishment of death. They are no more nor less than spies, and probably are sent by you to this city as such. I shall send Mr. Nicholas back to your camp, but if you send any more persons here in the same way they will be regarded as spies and tried and condemned as such. You must know, general, that the laws and usages of war require that a bearer of a flag of truce should report at the nearest post and should not pass the other line of sentinels without permission. He should not even approach within gun-shot of a sentinel without displaying his flag and receiving a signal to advance. If he have dispatches, he should send for an officer to receive and receipt for them, which officer should direct the flag of truce to immediately leave our lines. Answers to such dispatches should immediately be sent to you by us in the same way.

In a postscript to the copy of your letter of the 12th instant, just received, you call my attention to the fact that a band of men are "firing private houses, barns, mills, &c." I presume you refer to a band of outlaws on the Kansas frontier. They do not belong to my command, and they entered this department without my authority. As soon as I heard of their depredations I ordered General Pope to either drive them out of the State or t disarm and confine them. Be assured, general, that no acts of wanton spoliation, such as "firing private houses, barns, mills, &c.," and "burning and destroying railroad bridges, &c.," will be countenanced by me. On the contrary, I propose to punish with the utmost severity every act of wanton destruction of property, public or private, and every act of pillage, marauding, robbery, and theft committed in this department, no matter under whole authority or orders the guilty parties may have acted.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

H. W. HALLECK,

Major-General.

LEAVENWORTH, January 27, 1862.

Honorable JOHN COVODE, House of Representatives:

Arrived last night. Before communicating with General Hunter he issued this order:

GENERAL ORDERS,
HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF KANSAS, Numbers 11.
Fort Leavenrowth, Kans., January 27, 1862.

1. In the expedition about to go south from this department, called in the newspapers General Lane's Expedition, it is the intention of the major-general commanding the department to command in person, unless otherwise expressly ordered by the Government.

2. Transportation not having been supplied, we must go without it. All tents, trunks, chests, chairs, camp-tables, camp-stools, &c., must be at once stored or abandoned. The general-commanding take sin his valise one shirt, one pair drawers, one pair socks, and one handkerchief, and no officer or soldier will carry more. The sur-

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