such employments and contracts shall terminate on the last day of the current month, after which date none but citizens of unquestionable loyalty to the United States Government will be given employment or contracts in the military service in this district. All violations or evasions of this order will be promptly dealt with. Contractors will not be allowed to have rebel partners or agents in the performance of their contracts. All officers in this district will report to these headquarters on the 1st day of June next the names of all Government employees and contractors, with a description of their service or contract, and will make similar reports on the 1st day of each month thereafter of all persons hired or contracted with since last report.

By command of Brigadier-General Burbridge:

J. BATES DICKSON,

Captain and Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS OF DISTRICT,
Columbus, Ky., May 12, 1864.

Colonel S. G. HICKS,

Commanding, Paducah, Ky.:

COLONEL: Guerrillas, near Mayfield, took a part of a picket guard from Colonel Moore's command when it camped there for the night on the 7th instant. If the rebel citizens of this district have amongst them such forces for such purposes I shall took to rebel citizens for redress. In pursuance of this plan you will, immediately on receipt of this, detach a mounted force from your command, with orders to arrest some influential rebel sympathizers in the neighborhood in which these guerrillas are maintained and hold them as hostages for the safe return to Columbus or Paducah of the corporal and nine others, ten men in all, taken from Colonel Moore's command. I inclose a list of persons, some of whom will be sufficient, in all probability. After arresting them they may be paroled for three days. If in that time the men are not given up, confinement will follow.

Very respectfully, yours, &c.,

HENRY PRINCE,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.

HEADQUARTERS DIVISION OF WEST MISSISSIPPI,
May 12, 1864.

Major General W. T. SHERMAN,

Commanding DIVISION of the Mississippi:

I was very much gratified by the receipt of your telegram of the 8th* and obliged for the suggestion it contained. I will send back as soon as possible the detachments of McPherson's corps now with Brigadier General A. J. Smith. I have ordered the detachments from his DIVISION now absent to join him at once, and with these and other troops that I am able to gather as I go down, will be able to relieve the others as soon as I reach Red River.

ED. R. S. CANBY,

Major-General.

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*See Vol. XXXIV, Part III, p. 505.

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