HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC,
November 3, 1863.

Commanding Officer Cavalry Corps:

Information is just received that a part of Hampton's old brigade, about 600 strong, crossed at Fredericksburg yesterday, a part of whom were sent to destroy the railroad, and the remainder to scour the country. It was reported at Fredericksburg that a brigade of infantry would follow. The major-general commanding directs that Kilpatrick's division be sent to look after this cavalry and drive them back over the river.

Very respectfully,

A. A. HUMPHREYS,

Major-General, and Chief of Staff.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC,
November 3, 1863-9 p. m.

Colonel D. C. McCALLUM,

Military Superintendent of Railroads:

Your railroad to the junction and Warrenton works well. I was aware that General Meade had paid you a most deserving compliment for the extraordinary labor performed under your direct supervision in rebuilding the road from Bristoe to Warrenton Junction. He desires you will keep your construction parties on the road and put it in working order as far as Bealeton.

RUFUS INGALLS,

Chief Quartermaster.

ARTILLERY HDQRS., ARMY OF THE POTOMAC,

November 3, 1863.

Lieutenant Colonel J. A. MONROE,

Chief of Artillery, Second Corps:

COLONEL: In reply to your note of this date, I am instructed by the chief of artillery to state:

1. There is no prescribed mode of packing the ammunition of 3-inch guns, as chests of different batteries are often issued marked, and not uniformly. When marked to ammunition should be packed accordingly. There is no objection to your prescribing the mode of packing, but when a mode has been adopted, and systematically followed, it would not be good policy during field operations to change it, unless there is a manifest fault in the packing, which produces injury.

2. For rifled guns, 25 shells, 20 shrapnel to 5 canister is a proper proportion, the shell to be increased to 30 at the expense of the shrapnel, if the commander of the battery desires it. There is too much shrapnel used. Fifty rounds is the load to each chest.

3. As both the Hotchkiss and Schenkl ammunition are provided, commanders of batteries can use either system, but in no case must two projectiles of the same kind be used in a battery. That is, no battery must have both Hotchkiss and Schenkl shell or both Hotchkiss and Schenkl shrapnel. They may have Hotchkiss shell and Schenkl shrapnel, or vice versa, but he recommends strongly that,