This is a good position here; puts all the roads in our front, and enables us to scout toward Cotton Port, Morganton, Madisonville, and Decatur, and also enables us to get in the rear of parties going to rear of these places or Kingston.

WOLFORD,

Colonel.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE CUMBERLAND,
Chattanooga, October 15, 1863-2.50 a.m.

(Received 1.10 p.m.)

Major-General HALLECK,

Washington, D. C.:

Jeff. Davis was on our front Saturday and Sunday. He told the troops he would give them 30,000 re-enforcements; he would sacrifice Richmond and Charleston before he would lose this place, and bid them be of good cheer; they should be in Kentucky by November. some re-enforcements are now arriving at Dalton, and one division of Vicksburg prisoners, under Stevenson, is on our front. A deserter, one of the Jackson prisoners, had a paper sending him to duty, alleging his parole to have been irregular. They are building pontoons. Raining very steadily.

W. S. ROSECRANS,

Major-General.

COLUMBUS, KY., October 15, 1863.

(Received 2.45 p.m.)

Major General H. W. HALLECK,

General-in-chief:

Your dispatch of 3rd, directing me to report at Cairo, was received at 11.30 a.m. the 9th instant. I left same day with my staff and headquarters, and have just reached here en route for Cairo.

U. S. GRANT,

Major-General.

NATCHEZ, MISS., October 15, 1863.

Honorable EDWIN M. STANTON,

Secretary of War:

I recently passed a few days at Goodrich's Landing, La., 50 miles above Vicksburg, one of my purposes being to ascertain the condition of the leased plantations, to what extent the cultivation of cotton has been carried, and especially to know whether the cultivation of plantations could not be carried on as well by hired freedmen as by slaves. The gathering of cotton is now in full operation, and it may be too soon to report fully the result, but the facts in my possession are sufficient for a judgment on the experiment. As previously reported, the season had advanced fully two months from the time cotton should have been planted, which was unavoidable, though the system was put into operation as soon after my coming to this country as was possible. The lessees, therefore, labored under great disadvantages in this respect, for most of them had just to