James River that you can safely do without abandoning your own position. Let it be infantry entirely, as he said yesterday that he had cavalry enough.

EDWIN M. STANTON,

Secretary of War.

FORT MONROE, June 28, 1862.

ECKERT:

The following was sent to Burnside on the 25th. If it decides the President not to send his of this date telegraph me to Norfolk. I will be there in an hour and half:

HEADQUARTERS, June 25, ---.

Major General AMBROSE E. BURNSIDE:

Reports from contrabands and deserters to-day make it probable that Jackson's forces are coming to Richmond, and that a part of Beauregard's force have arrived at Richmond. You will please advance on Goldsborough with all your available forces at the earliest practicable moment. I wish you to understand that every minute in this crisis is of great importance. You will therefore reach Goldsborough as soon as possible, destroying all the railroad communications in the directions of Richmond in your power.

If possible, destroy some of the bridges on the Raleigh and Gaston Railroads and Threaten Raleigh.

GEO. B. McCLELLAN.

SHELDON.

WAR DEPARTMENT,
June 28, 1862-6 p. m.

Major-General BURNSIDE, New Berne:

Since the dispatches of the President and myself to you of to-day we have seen a copy of one sent to you by General McClellan on the 25th, of which we were not aware.* Our directions were not designed to interfere with any instructions given you by General McClellan, but only to authorize you to render him any aid in your power.

EDWIN M. STANTON,

Secretary of War.

ON BOARD THE ALICE PRICE,

Pamlico Sound, June ---, 1862.

Major General GEORGE B. McCLELLAN:

We can put 7,000 infantry in Norfolk in five days, but no artillery, cavalry, or wagons, and will require transportation from Norfolk. We can land at a point on the Chowan to attack Petersburg with 7,000, twelve pieces of artillery, 240 cavalry, and enough wagons for ammunition, and four days' provisions in five days. We can move on Goldsborough at sixty hours' notice with 10,000 infantry, twenty pieces of artillery, and five companies of cavalry.

From my present information I think that we can take Goldsborough and hold it for the present, although 13 miles of railroad between here and Kinston have been destroyed. At all events we can go to Kinston and repair the railroad and bridges between here and there. We have already built the bridges over the Trent and Batchelder's Creek,

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*See Sheldon to Eckert, immediately preceding.

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