who commit them, and in future will be held to a strict accountability. If they will perform their duty, obedience can be enforced in the ranks.

In future marches all men will be kept in the ranks, and regimental commanders held accountable for their good conduct. It is the duty of regimental commanders, and within their power if they are worthy of the position they hold, to enforce attention to duty on the part of company officers.

All derelictions of duty within any regiment in future will be reported by brigade commanders, through the proper channels, to headquarters of the wing to which they may belong, to the end that the offenders may be brought to trial or immediate dismissal from the service and publicly disgraced.

All men who straggle from their companies and are captured by the enemy will be reported to the general headquarters, so that they may be dishonorably discharged, whereby they will forfeit all future and back pay and allowances, and Government will be protected from exchanging a prisoner captured in actual conflict for one who by his worthlessness and disregard for the good of the service has become a captive.

This order will be read on parade before each regiment and detachment for three successive evenings.

By command of Major General U. S. Grant:

JNO. A. RAWLINS,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

WASHINGTON, D. C., November 8, 1862.

Major-General CURTIS, Saint Louis:

You will immediately place Brigadier-General Steele in command of the troops in Helena, and send with him all the troops from the vicinity of Pilot Knob that can be spared.

H. W. HALLECK,

General-in-Chief.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE TENNESSEE,
La Grange, November 8, 1862.

General DODGE, Corinth, Miss.:

When you are satisfied the enemy can be attacked and repulsed without endangering the post from other parties, do it. You can judge of the propriety of attacking at Guntown better than I can.

General Wallace will probably relieve you in a day or two. A division then awaits you here.

U. S. GRANT,

Major-General.

LAMAR, MISS., November 8, 1862 - 8.30 a. m.

Major-General GRANT:

One of our men who was taken prisoner near Jackson about five weeks ago made his escape from the rebel lines and came in this morning. He says there are about 30,000 infantry, artillery, and cavalry at Coldwater; that they commenced evacuating Holly Springs, but Pemberton came up on Thursday and put a stop to it, ordering the troops all