SPECIAL ORDERS,
HEADQUARTERS FORREST'S CAVALRY, Numbers 109.
Okolona, July 22, 1864.

* * * * *

IV. Lieutenant-Colonel Chalmers will move on Monday morning with three days' rations of forage to Abbeville, and keep scouts above Senatobia and Holly Springs, to report by telegraph any important movement of the enemy. He will establish a line of couriers from his headquarters to Pontotoc, to send all written communications. He will arrest all stragglers and deserters, especially those who deserted from Wimberly and Wilburn. He will put himself in communication with Captain Saunders and direct his movements. Colonel Chalmers will take Captain Smith's escort company with him. He will send his quartermaster ahead to procure forage, and will make out all of his reports before leaving.

By command of Brigadier General J. R. Chalmers, commanding:

W. H. BRAND,
Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.

HDQRS. DEPARTMENT OF WESTERN VA. AND EAST TENN.,

Abingdon, Va., July 23, 1864.

General S. COOPER,

Adjutant and Inspector General, Richmond, Va.:

GENERAL: I have the honor to make the following statements in regard to the condition of the troops, &c., serving in this department:

There are as present of all arms on duty here about 3,300 men, of which 2,800 are cavalry. Of these my DIVISION constitutes about 1,500, and the portions of Jones' and Vaughn's brigades, about 800 and 500, respectively. There are yet in Kentucky about 600 men of my DIVISION. These men, I learn, are now on their way out. I received notification to-day that 300 had reached Okolona, Miss., and are there awaiting orders. The rest, I learn, are moving through the mountains of Eastern Kentucky and will be here in a few days. There are stationed at Saltville, Va., four batteries of artillery (about 300 men); at the lead mines one battery of artillery (about 70 men). These troops are all in a creditable state of discipline, except the detachment of Vaughn's brigade. The men from this command detachments of both officers and men from almost every company and battalion in the brigade. They are, however, improving in their organization daily, and I think will in a short time be more efficient, or at least sufficiently so to admit of using them with confidence in operations against the enemy. I found on taking command of the department a large number of stragglers and deserters from all the different organizations that have served in this section for the past six months. These have now been pretty well collected up or run out of the country. These have now been pretty well collected up or run out of the country. Under instructions from General Lee to gather all troops of this region for the defense of the country, I have retained and placed on duty here all the mounted men belonging to organizations that could be reached have been forwarded as fast as apprehended. There were also in East Tennessee quite a number of strolling bands, calling themselves "independent scouts," who were prowling about the country, depredating upon private property, and under no sort of rule or discipline. These have been gathered in pretty effectually, and now are under military government. A copy of the order issued to correct