Porter and tell him everything that may occur to me of interest to you. In the mean time know I admire your dogged perseverance and pluck more than ever. If you can whip Lee and I can march to the Atlantic I think Uncle Abe will give us a twenty days' leave of absence to see the young folks.

Ever, yours,

W. T. SHERMAN,

Major-General.

WASHINGTON, September 20, 1864-2. 55 p. m.

Major-General SHERMAN,

Atlanta, Ga.:

General Schofield asks for permission to purchase mares in Kentucky for his cavalry. That would seriously injure the horse stock of the country, and is against the fixed policy of the Government. But all mares in Georgia, Alabama, and MISSISSIPPI should be seized as military supplies, and those not fit for cavalry or the quartermaster's department sent North and sold. In parts of Tennessee and Kentucky liable to raids mares may be seized and appraised, but not purchased on contract or in open market. The objection purchasing is, that mares will be immediately run down there from Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan for a market. Please impress these views on General Thomas and Schofield in regard to their departments.

H. W. HALLECK,

Major-General and Chief of Staff.

HDQRS. MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI,
In the Field, Atlanta, September 20, 1864.

Major General H. W. HALLECK,

Chief of Staff, Washington, D. C.:

GENERAL: I have the honor to submit herewith a paper* from Major- General Schofield, which raises a question of law which should be authoritatively determined. General Schofield states the question fairly, but he arrives at a conclusion the reserve of my decision in a case which arose at the time I moved against the Macon railroad be tween Rough and Ready and Jonesborough. I have endeavored throughout the campaign to avoid putting an "army" commander on a detachment with a corps commander of superior lineal rank, but at the time specified I had ordered General Schofield, my left, to attack Rough and Ready, whilst General Howard, my right, was engaged at Jonesborough, seven miles distant, and as General Schofield's army was not strong enough I had ordered General Thomas, the center, to re-enforce General Schofield with his nearest corps, which was General Stanley's. The question of rank was inevitable, and I was in the midst of battle forced to decide that as General Stanley did not belong to General Schofield's Army of the Ohio, the 62nd Article of War must control the question- when, upon a march, different corps happen to join, the officer highest in rank in the line of the army must command and be held responsible; in other words, that during the temporary absence of that wing from my immediate personal supervision General Stanley, the senior, was entitled to command. General Schofield, cheerfully acquiesced, but at my instance he has made the point, that I might

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* See Vol. XXXVIII, Part V, p. 797.

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