out honest and earnest men at the termini of the road, it will be but a few weeks before this city will be besieged, not by the enemy only, but by the stupidity of the management of this road. At a late important juncture of military affairs this road was so incompetently managed that a great disaster was imminent and only prevented by the interposition of Providence, and not by the enterprise and management of the Danville road. During a recent serious scarcity of rations a train of cars, nine in number, came into Richmond with two cars for Government and seven for individuals. Rumor is busy with a thousand reports of bribery and corruption, and the military authorities are loud in complaints against this road.

The Whig represents the people of Richmond suffering for want of fuel, and urges that the Government shall furnish wood, as it does food. Hard wood is $100 per cord.

U. S. GRANT,

Lieutenant-General.

CITY POINT, January 3, 1865-7.45 p. m.

Major General J. G. PARKE,

Commanding Army of the Potomac:

Put all team animals of your army on half rations and all cavalry horses on three-quarter rations of forage until further orders.

By command of Lieutenant General Grant:

T. S. BOWERS,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

(Same to Major General Butler.)

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, January 3, 1865-8.30 p. m.

Colonel T. S. BOWERS,
Asst. Adjt. General, Hdqrs. Armies of the United States:

Your dispatch directing a reduction of the forage ration has been received.

JNO. G. PARKE,

Major-General, Commanding.

CITY POINT, VA., January 3, 1865.

Admiral D. D. PORTER,

Commanding North Atlantic Blockading Squadron:

I send Major General A. H. Terry, with the same troops General Butler had, with one picked brigade added, to renew the attempt on Fort Fisher. In addition to this I have ordered General Sheridan to send a division of infantry to Baltimore to be put on sea-going transports, so that they can go also if their services are found necessary. This will augment General Terry's force from 4,000 to 5,000 men. These troops will be at Fort Monroe, if the transportation can be obtained (there is but little doubt it can), ready to sail at an hour's notice. General Terry will show you the instructions he is acting under. My views are that Fort Fisher can be taken from the water front only in two ways-one is to surprise the enemy when they have an insufficient force; then the other is for the navy to run into Cape Fear River with vessels enough