to Winchester, and are now held there under the miserable pretext of drilling them.

The feeling is becoming very general among our people that while we have plenty of men ready and willing to protect the border against these incursions of the enemy, yet that we are suffering further into particulars, or preferring complaints of incompetency or inefficiency against any particular officer or officers, I beg leave to submit whether it be not practicable and expedient ot send here (that is, on this border of the valley) some competent regular or experienced officer of the army to take charge of and direct the whole military operations in this quarter, or if this can't be done, and we must have the peace establishment militia officers still in command, then that some experienced and intelligent officer be sent here to inquire into the condition of things, and report what is proper to be done.

My friend and colleague Honorable A. R. Botteler I presume is now in Richmond, and he will give you full and minute information about the matters and things referred to in the foregoing.

Very truly, your obedient servant,

ANDREW HUNTER.

HDQRS. FIRST CORPS, ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, Fairfax Court-House, October 5, 1861.

Major General E. VAN DORN, Commanding Division:

GENERAL: As active operations are immediately impending, the general directs that you send without delay all heavy baggage of the regiments of your division to Fairfax Station, to be transported thence by rail to Manassas. In charge of this baggage will be sent one commissioned officer from each brigade, one non-commissioned officer from each regiment, and one trusty private from each company.

This party is to remain at Manassas until further orders, and the officer in command will report to Brigadier-General Clark at that post..

Your brigade quartermaster will superintend the forwarding of theirs baggage from the station, reporting to the chief quartermaster of this corps when he will be ready for a train to receive it.

Respectfully, your obedient servant,
THOMAS JORDAN,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

NEAR CHARLESTOWN, October 6, 1861.

Honorable J. P. BENJAMIN,

Acting Secretary of War, Richmond, Va.:

SIR: Your agreeable and most acceptable communication of the 1st instant reached me by yesterday's mail, and all you say upon the subject of our border is encouraging.

The work goes on encouragingly, and the scarcity of horses alone prevents our putting into the field at once a corps of mounted men that would, under a proper leader, render valuable service. Colonel Baylor has a goodly number, and if horses can be had will soon raise one hundred or more. Captain Jo. Hess has now already mounted one hundred, and both of these patriotic men are scouting the borders of this.