train is made up at the required time on the Decatur road. He will use all the available wagons belonging to the Twentieth Corps, making up the balance of the number from the detachments about the city. He will assign such officers of the quartermaster's department to accompany the trains as he may deem necessary. Each DIVISION commander will detail one brigade of infantry, and Major Reynolds, chief of artillery, will detail two batteries of artillery, to accompany the train as guard. The commanding officer of each brigade and artillery will report to-day to Colonel Dustin for orders. The cavalry force of Colonel Garrarad will also accompany the expedition. The troops will carry five days' rations.

By command of Major-General Slocum:

H. W. PERKINS,

Lieutenant-Colonel and Assistant Adjutant-General.

HDQRS. THIRD Brigadier, FIRST DIV., 20TH ARMY CORPS,
Atlanta, Ga., October 20, 1864.

Lieutenant Colonel H. W. PERKINS,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

SIR: In compliance with request of commanding general, I have the honor to submit the following suggestions for the consideration of commanding officers of foraging expeditions:

Upon arriving at a section of country from which sufficient forage can be obtained a defensible position should be selected to park the main portion of the train, with at least one brigade of infantry and one battery of artillery in charge for its protection and for picketing the different roads. One hundred and FIFTY wagons, in charge of a brigade of infantry and a squadron of cavalry, can be loaded and brought back to park in a day, provided that they meet with no serious opposition from the enemy. The cavalry should be used to patrol the country and report the location of the different corn-fields. Too many wagons should not be taken into the corn-fields, as they only embarrass operations, but they should be parked near at hand so that they can be moved promptly to the point required. As the corn is usually very Light, not yielding in many instances over from ten to fifteen bushels to the acre, the officer in charge should be careful in estimates as to the number of wagons required for the several fields. The troops detailed for stripping the corn should be deployed, assigning one man to carry ten rows of corn. As the corn is stripped it should be thrown into piles and the wagons should follow and load it up. Two or even one man for this purpose is sufficient. The men should keep on their equipments and sling their guns over their shoulders, so as to be ready to repel a sudden attack from the enemy. Company officers should be required to remain with their commands, and the men should under no circumstances be permitted to leave their commands to forage until their work is done. Men not connected with their commands should not be permitted to accompany the expedition. They are usually men of the most depraved and worthless character, who accompany the expedition for the purpose of plundering private houses and committing outrages upon defenseless females. This class of men by their bad conduct bring disgrace upon the army. The commanding officer of the expedition should be authorized to shoot all men found committing these outrages. Parties sent with expeditions to forage for the different