Each corps shall have a provost-marshal who shall be on the staff of the general commanding the corps, and will be obeyed and respected as such. His rank shall be that of a field officers, if practicable; otherwise that of a captain.

Each division shall have a provost-marshal, with the rank of captain, who shall be on the staff of the general commanding the division, and will be obeyed and respected accordingly.

Brigades will not be allowed provost-marshals. All prisoners of war or deserters coming within the lines will be forwarded without delay to the corps provost-marshals, and will be forwarded to corps provost-marshals to headquarters Army of the James.

Corps provost-marshals shall make and keep a register of all sutlers, sutler's employes, and civilians doing business within their respective corps, and shall as soon as made forward a transcript of the same to the provost-marshal-general Army of the James.

The provost-marshal-general Army of the James shall make and keep a registry of all sutlers, sutler's emloyes's, purveyors, and civilians doing business within the Army of the James, and shall forward a transcript of the same to the provost-marshal-general of the department as soon as made.

The commanding officer of each corps, division, and brigade can selected a sutler, or registered sutler's clerk, to provide for commissioned officers, upon their orders, such goods as are not upon the Wilson bill. Liquors of all kinds excepted.

Corps and division commanders may,if they desire, select purveyors for their headquarters other than sutlers and sutler's clerks, who shall have equal rights with regularly appointed regimental sutlers and be governed by the same rules.

All permits to boy business within the Army of the James (sutlers excepted) shall be obtained from the provost-marshal-general Army of the James. Sutler's goods must be brought to the army on private vessels. The invoices on which they are brought must be on printed forms, approved by regimental commanders, and forwarded through intermediate commanders to the provost-marshal-general Army of the James, if within that army; otherwise, to the provost-marshal-general of the department, at Fort Monroe.

All passes to leave the Army of the James must be given by Major-General Ord or the provost-marshal-general Army of the James. These passes will be visaed at Bermuda Hundred, and if they are to go out of the department must be visaed at Fort Monroe. All passes will be examined by the officer of the mail-boats, of which there shall be one, with a sufficient guard accompanying each boat.

By command of Major-General Ord;

R. S. DAVIS,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

CITY POINT, VA., March 16, 1865-3.45 p. m.

General READ,

Chief of Staff:

Artillery firing is heard here in the direction of Long Bridge, on the Chicakahominy. Direct Colonel West to take his cavalry force, leaving enough to relieve the present picket-line, with three days' rations, and move at once down along the Chicakahominy, keeping his left flank, well covered, and communicate with any force of General Sheridan's which may be on the north side of that river. He will have