danger, and through the very shadow of death. Their comrades, dead on all the fields where we fought, have scarcely more claim to the honor of a nation's reverence than the survivors to the justice of a nation's gratitude.

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

GEO. B. MCCLELLAN,

Major-General, U. S. Army.

Brigadier General LORENZO THOMAS,

Adjutant-General, U. S. Army.

--------------

Numbers 3. Report of Brigadier General Rufus Ingalls, chief quartermaster, Army of the Potomac, of operations of the quartermaster's department September 2 - November 9, 1862, with annual report for fiscal year ending June 30, 1863.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC,
OFFICE OF CHIEF QUARTERMASTER,

Camp near Falmouth, Va., February 17, 1863.

GENERAL: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 20th ultimo asking for a report of the operations of the quartermaster's department from the time I succeeded General Van Vliet to the date of transfer of the command by General McClellan.*

* * * * * * *

On arrival at Yorktown and Fortress Monroe, the troops were embarked, as rapidly as our means of water transportation would allow, for Aquia and Alexandria, in order to unite with the forces under General Pope. The cavalry and means of land transportation were the last to be shipped. Much of the cavalry did not arrive until after Pope had fallen back on the defenses and had been relieved in command. Many of the baggage trains were still behind, and did not come up until this army was reorganized by General McClellan after Pope's reverses, and had reached the Antietam. Great exertions were required and made to supply the army on its march in the Maryland campaign.

So soon as General McClellan was invested with the command of the army for "the defenses of Washington," I ordered all quartermasters to make requisitions for such supplies as would be necessary to put the troops in condition to take the field. The army was then resting near its great depots. Most of the troops were well supplied for that occasion, but some commands, owing to the suddenness of the march, having left their clothing on vessels at Harrison's Landing to be brought to Alexandria, neglect, or inexperience of staff officers, subsequently were subjected to some privations.

It was at this period that General McClellan organized and put in motion a grand army that expelled the enemy from Maryland. This army moved early in September toward Frederick by way of Rockville and Urbana. I left on the 8th and joined headquarters at Rockville. Until the army reached the vicinity of railroads, it was supplied exclusively by our wagon trains direct from Washington. At that season of

----------------------------------------------------------------

* So much of this report as relates to operations July 10 - September 2 will be found in Vol. XI, Part I, pp. 164-166; but see annual report following.