and that of General Loring, have determined him to make such disposal of General Loring's forces as will render them more immediately effective than if retained in the Valley District. He has therefore determined to send into Tennessee the three regiments of Tennessee troops that have been longest in service, and to add to them the Georgia regiment now with General Loring, the whole to be combined, with four regiments withdrawn from General Bragg and five regiments withdrawn from General Lovell, for the defense of our line in Eastern Tennessee, left open by the defeat of General Crittenden at Somerset. The President therefore directs the following disposal of forces to be made:.

1. That you send at once to Knoxville the regiments of Colonels Maney, Bate, and Vaughn, and the Georgia regiment, now with General Loring..

2. That you send to General Holmes the two remaining Tennessee regiments belonging to the brigade of General Anderson and the Arkansas regiment of Colonel Rust..

3. That you transfer to your own army (Potomac) all the remaining troops belonging to General Loring's command..

The President desires that you exercise your own discretion in sending any re-enforcements you may deem necessary to General Jackson from the Army of the Potomac; but he thinks the good of the service requires that no part of General Loring's command be left with General Jackson. You are also requested to order General Loring to report to the Adjutant-General here for orders. He is assigned to duty with General Lee, in Georgia..

You are specially requested to lose no time in sending the troops ordered to Knoxville, where we are sorely pressed, and where the danger is imminent..

I am, your obedient servant,.

J. P. BENJAMIN,.

Secretary of War..

HEADQUARTERS VALLEY DISTRICT,.

Winchester, Va., February 9, 1862.

General JOSEPH E. JOHNSTON,.

Commanding Department of Northern Virginia:.

GENERAL: I return the inclosed letter, as I presume it was referred to me by mistake, Nelson County being in Eastern Virginia; but I would state in this connection that the chief commissary of the department (Major Blair) raised the price of flour in this district, and my chief quartermaster informs me that Major Barbour, of the Quartermaster's Department, has also sent an agent into this district, who has raised the price of corn from $4 to $4.50 per barrel. This increase of price is at present unnecessary and produces bad feeling on the part of those who have to take the less price. To avoid such and other bad results in future I would respectfully request that agents of the various department of the staff, when sent into this district to make purchases, be required to report to the chief of their department in this district and quartermaster not only to impress his grain from distillers first, should impressment be necessary, but also to make purchases of them at a fair price when circumstances require it..

Respectfully, your obedient servant,.

T. J. JACKSON,.

Major-General, Commanding..