NAVY DEPARTMENT, October 10, 1863.

Acting Rear-Admiral DAVID D. PORTER, or

Captain A. M. PENNOCK, U. S. Navy,

Cairo, Ill.:

The War Department is very anxious to know if you can possibly ascend the Tennessee River with your lightest draught gun-boats, so as to protect the transportion of supplies as far as Florence or Eastport. Answer immediately as the subject is of the utmost importance.

GIDEON WELLES,

Secretary of Navy.

CHATTANOOGA, TENN., October 10, 1863. (Received 9.45 p.m.)

Major General H. W. HALLECK,

General-in-Chief:

Your dispatch of the 8th received. I have sent no agents east or west, and given no orders for stocking the railroad, except to request Colonel Parsons, of Saint Louis, to send me all the rolling-stock Grant could spare. This was about six weeks ago. One hundred freight-cars were procured before I left Tullahoma, of which I informed you.

W. S. ROSECRANS,

Major-General.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE CUMBERLAND,
Chattanooga, October 10, 1863-12.15 a.m. (Received 2.42 p.m.)

Major-General HALLECK,

Washington:

The permission to enlist from the Pioneers and others an engineer regiment of veteran volunteers is a great step. To give the best results we want Comstock, of the Engineers, for its colonel. Can we have him?

W. S. ROSECRANS,

Major-General.

ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE,

Washington, October 10, 1863.

General ROSECRANS,

Chattanooga, Tenn.:

The consolidation of the Twentieth and Twenty-first Army Corps,

to constitute the Fourth Corps, renders certain corps staff officers supernumerary. It is desired to hear from General Granger on this subject, in order to arrange the proper legal staff of the Fourth Corps.

JAS. A. HARDIE,

Assistant Adjutant-General.