rants the suspension of the work on the bridge ordered this morning. You will, therefore, take no further steps for the reconstruction of the bridge across Flint River.

Very respectfully,

T. WISEMAN,

Captain and Assistant Adjutant-General.

HDQRS. THIRD BRIG., THIRD DIV., RESERVE CORPS,
Carthage, Tenn., September 2, 1863.

Major General W. S. ROSECRANS:

GENERAL: There is no news of interest here nor any troops except the Fifth Regiment Tennessee Infantry. I arrived here on the 30th ultimo, and assumed the command of this brigade in conformity to your order assigning me to the same. I published my order at the headquarters of Major-General Granger, at Nashville, as I passed through that place on my way here. That order, as you know, bears date 27th of August, 1863, was published at Major-General Granger's headquarters on the 29th, and on the 30th Major-General Granger issued the following order to Colonel Shelley, at Alexandria:

Move your command to McMinnville and relieve the brigade at that place immediately upon the receipt of this order. The regiment at Carthage (which is Colonel Shelley's own regiment) will join you in a few days. Report your arrival to General Rosecrans, at Stevenson; also to these headquarters.

By order of Major-General Granger:

WM. C. RUSSELL,

Captain and Assistant Adjutant-General.

Hence you see that General Granger saw fit to remove from my command the Third and Sixth Regiments Tennessee Infantry, and also take Colonel Shelley from the Fifth Tennessee Infantry, and order him to take command of them and move them to McMinnville, and there report directly to your headquarters and the headquarters of this army corps. I cannot account for such order upon any principle of military regulations that I have ever pretended to understand, nor can I see how I am to report to you the condition of my command, when over one-half of it is taken away from me by an order from my superior to a subordinate officer, without any intimation whatever to me.

If General Granger had not known that I was in command at this place, I should readily conclude that the order to Colonel Shelley was addressed to him, believing that he was in command of the brigade; and I still hope that it is a mistake that may be accounted for, perhaps from your headquarters, and thereby did not see proper to notice the publication of the order that I made to him. As it is, I am left at this place in command of Colonel Shelley's regiment, or what he has left of it, for he has taken part of it with him, while he is in command of the brigade and gone to McMinnville. I would be much pleased if Colonel Shelley could be ordered back to his regiment, and Colonel Cooper and Colonel Cross be permitted to command theirs. Colonel Cooper is as well qualified as any colonel in my command to command a post at McMinnville, if necessary to divide the brigade, and an order from headquarters assigning each colonel in command of his own regiment will contribute much to the quieting and harmonizing the brigade.

I do not intend this as an official complaint of any treatment I have received, nor do I know that anything is intended by General