and forty-ninth, One hundred and fiftieth, and One hundred and fifty-first Pennsylvania Volunteers, and Company B, Twenty-sixth Pennsylvania, and Company F, Twenty-seventh Pennsylvania, will replace them. The Reserves are worth more to him than their numbers indicate, and will be strengthened by the return of convalescents, deserters, &c. If the two odd companies have not been embarked, cannot a small regiment be sent in their place? I do not know how strong the Twenty-sixth and Twenty-seventh are, but they are old regiments and cannot be very full.

Respectfully, &c.,

JOHN F. REYNOLDS,

Major-General of Volunteers, Commanding.

P. S.-I telegraphed Doubleday, but have had no reply. My aide-de-camp was directed to see him also.

STAFFORD COURT-HOUSE, VA.,

February 12, 1863.

Major-General HOOKER,

Commanding Army of the Potomac:

GENERAL: Your kind letter of the 8th instant, assuring me of your high regard and confidence, and proposing to do all in your power to make my position tenable to me, is gratefully acknowledged. I would not have presumed to write to you as I did had I not known that your personal regard for me was what it is, and this emboldens me once more to trespass upon time and kindness. Allow me, therefore, to say that I know of no troops that are available to increase my corps, and I cannot consent to ask other commanders to reduce their corps to strengthen mine. Besides this, my past experience in endeavoring to strengthen my own command has been so painful that I am convicted it would be useless to make further efforts in that direction. I have, therefore, after due deliberation, concluded to ask to be relieved from my present command.

It is my earnest desire to remain in the service of the United States, and it would, therefore, place me under increased obligations to you if you would approve and recommend that my request, which I inclose to you, be granted, and that, if consistent, you telegraph it to Washington and ask for an immediate reply.

With renewed assurances of my high consideration, and trusting that our personal relations will continue as pleasant as they have been, I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

F. SIGEL,

Major-General, Commanding Eleventh Corps.

[Inclosure.]

STAFFORD COURT-HOUSE, VA.,

February 12, 1863.

Lieutenant-Colonel DICKINSON,

Assistant Adjutant-General:

COLONEL: I beg leave respectfully to represent that the reduction of my command in the Army of the Potomac makes it exceedingly unpleasant and dispiriting for me to remain longer in my present command, and therefore request that I be immediately relieved from my command.