GENERAL ORDERS,
HDQRS. DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH, Numbers 43.
Hilton Head, S. C., April 13, 1865.

I. General Orders, Numbers 5, from these headquarters, dated January 17, 1865, is hereby amended to read as follows:

A military tax of 1 per cent. will be levied on all goods brought into this department for the purpose of trade. The value of such goods will be determined by the invoices of purchase, to which ah affidavit will be required from the consignees certifying to their correctness. the fund accruing from this tax will be used for the purpose of providing steam and other fire engineers, repairing wharves, roads, public buildings, and other necessary civil expenses, for the several cities and towns within the limits of this department.

II. The military supervisors of trade for the various posts, or, whete the post commander has not appointed such a supervisor, the post treasurer, will attend to the collection of the tax imposed by this order, and make semi-monhtly returns of all moneys received to Bvt. Major George E. Gouraud, acting assistant inspector-general of the department, who, in additional to his duties as such, will also act as treasurer of the find accruing from this tax, and attend to the disbursement of the same, under the direction of the major-general commanding.

III. The acting assistant inspecrtor-general of the department will also exercise the supervision of srores and trade within the department required my paragraph IV, of Special Orders, Numbers 13, from the headquarters of the military Division of the Mississippi, dated January 15, 1865.

IV. Lieutenant Colonel James H. Strong, First North Carolina Union Volunteers, is hereby relieved from duty as collector of the department military tax, to which he was detailed by General Orders, Numbers 5, current series, from these headquarters.

V. Lieutenant Frank Geise, Thirty-second U. S. Colored Troops, is hereby relieved from duty as acting military tax collector, to which he was assigned by General Orders, Numbers 27, current series, from these headquarters, and will at once turn over to Brevet Major Gouraud, acting assistant inspector-general, all money and property pertaining to the office for the collection of the department military tax, who will receipt to him for the same.

By command of Major General Q. A. Gillmore:

W. L. M. BURGER,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS,
In the Field, April 14, 1865. *

Major General W. T. SHERMAN,

Commanding U. S. Forces:

GENERAL: The results of the recent campaign in Virginia have changed the relative military condition of the belligerents. I am therefore induced to address you in this form the inquiry, whether, in order to stop the further effusion of blood and devastation of property, you are willing to make a temporary suspension of active operations, and to communicate to Lieutenant-General Grant, commanding the Armies of the United States, the request that he will tale like action

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* Another copy of this communication, in General Johnston's handwriting, is dated April 13, 1865. Both papers are signed by General Johnston, but the text of the one here printed is by a different hand.

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