day night, so that General John E. Smith and the Seventeenth Corps will have ample opportunity to fill up their wagons. I expect the mounted force I sent to Florence will be back before Monday night. There is a story that 6,000 of the Twenty-third Corps have arrived at Fayetteville.

Respectfully

O. O. HOWARD,

Major-General.

[Inclosure.]

SPECIAL
HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT AND FIELD ORDERS,
ARMY OF THE TENNESSEE, Numbers 53.
Cheraw, S. C., March 4, 1865.

* * * * *

II. The next series of movements of this command will be on Fayetteville, N. C. The Fifteenth Army Corps, Major General John A. Logan commanding, will move via Harrington's, Quick's Church, Springfield, Laurinburg, and Gilchrist's Church. The Seventeenth Army Corps, Major-General Blair commanding, will move via Bennettsville, Bam's Bridge, Stewartsville, and Gilopolis or Campbell's Bridge. General Blair will cross the Pedee with his leading division and all its material to-night. At 6 a. m. to-morrow General Logan will cross Bvt. Major General John E. Smith's divisionand move it out via J. W. Harrington's to the vicinity of Phill's Creek, taking possession of Irby's Mills for the use of the division. General Blair will follow with the remainder of his command and move out to the vicinity of Naked Creek and take possession of all mills near Bennettsville. The provost-guard of the Seventeenth Army Corps, on duty in the town, will be relieved to-morrow by a guard from the rear division of the Fifteenth Army Corps. As soon as the crossing of the Seventeenth Army Corps is completed the remainder of the Fifteenth Army Corps will follow and move out, with its head of column on Phill's Creek.

By order of Major General O. O. Howard:

A.m. VAN DYKE,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

HDQRS. MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI,
In the Field, Cheraw, S. C., March 4, 1865-8 p. m.

Major-General HOWARD,

Commanding Right Wing:

GENERAL: I have just received your note and the copy of your orders. I would not be surprised if it were true that some of Schofield's command were at Fayetteville. I know Grant's anxiety for us, and he will move heaven and earth to co-operate. Your orders are all right. I have written to Slocum, who is at Sneedsborough, and he will use the road from Sneedsborough by Mark's Creek and McFarland's Bridge, and all roads north of it. It may be well for you to let Slocum have a day's start, that the columns may assume an echelon toward the north. Slocum can hardly have all across earlier than Tuesday, and I have intimated that I would like him to be ten miles out during all Tuesday. The river with him seems to be wider than with you. Get a good scout or two ready for me to send a messenger to Wilmington as soon as any of your heads of column is across Lumber River.

Yours, truly,

W. T. SHERMAN,

Major-General, Commanding.