SPECIAL ORDERS,
HDQRS. OF THE ARMY, ADJT. General 'S OFFICE,

Numbers 306.
Washington, October 21, 1862.

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IV. Instead of reporting to Major-General McClellan, as directed in Paragraph III, of Special Orders, Numbers 300, October 17, 1862, Brigadier General Rufus King, U. S. Volunteers, will report in person to Major-General Dix, at Fort Monroe, Va.

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By command of Major-General Halleck:

E. D. TOWNSEND,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

CHERRY RUN, October 21, 1862-1.40 p. m.

Major-General NEWTON:

GENERAL: I have been down to Back Creek myself, and returned this moment. There is no enemy there. From the hill above I saw the railroad from the burnt bridge over Back Creek to Paxton's Cut, for a mile. There was not a person on it, or, apparently, at Paxton's Cut, to which I could see. Our pickets are at the bridge, burnt about a month since.

We probably could reach Paxton's Cut from the Maryland side with shells by some system of signaling, but there is nothing at which to aim. After leaving Paxton's Cut the road leaves the river, and could not be reached from this side. Shall I shell it, or wait for some signs of an enemy there?

Your obedient servant,

CHAS. DEVENS, JR.

SPECIAL ORDERS,
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC,

Numbers 290.
Camp near Knoxville, Md., October 21, 1862.

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VI. The following regiments will constitute a brigade of cavalry, to be commanded by Brigadier General A. Pleasonton, U. S. Volunteers: Sixth U. S. Cavalry, Eighth Pennsylvania Cavalry, Eighth Illinois Cavalry, Third Indiana Cavalry, Eighth New York Cavalry.

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By command of Major-General McClellan:

S. WILLIAMS,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, October 21, 1862.

Brigadier General JOHN F. REYNOLDS, Sharpsburg:

General McClellan desires me to say that there has always been plenty of grain at Hagerstown, and there has always been plenty of both long and short forage at both Harper's Ferry and Frederick, and he desires to know what the difficulty is about getting forage for the artillery horses. If there is any difficulty about it, he will try to rectify it as soon as possible.

A. V. COLBURN,
Assistant Adjutant-General.