FORT HENRY, December 19, 1862.

General SULLIVAN:

The cavalry started yesterday morning up the west side of the Tennessee River. I leave this morning with the infantry and artillery on boats. Will try to get in the enemy's rear and communicate with your forces. Will go as far up the river as I think necessary.

W. W. LOWE,

Colonel, Commanding.

NASHVILLE December 19, 1862.

Brigadier-General SULLIVAN:

Your telegram received. General Rosecrans advised that you mount your infantry and chase Forrest out of the country.

J. P. GARESCHE,

Aide-de-Camp.

WAR DEPARTMENT,

Washington, December 20, 1862.

Major-General CURTIS, Saint Luois, Mo.:

You can use the forces at Helena as you propose. The troops which join the Mississippi expedition will be temporarily under the general direction of General Grant.

H. W. HALLECK.

MEMPHIS, December 20, 1862 - 8 p. m.

GENERAL: We commenced loading this morning, and the first division (General M. L. Smith's), ten boats, are leaving port; the second (General Morgan's), thirteen boats, will follow in an hour, and the third (General A. J. Smith's), thirteen boats, will leave early in the morning. This last division is delayed by heaving a very bad place to load. General Gorman left to-day for Helena. We all rendezvous warmly to-morrow at Helena, when General Steele's division joins us with twelve or Fifteen boats. I think we have nearly if not quite fuel enough to carry us to Vicksburg, and 66,000 bushels of coal is no the way from Cairo. We are also supplied with several hundred axes to use in an emergency. I think we have done well to load in a single day, especially as several of our boats only arrived during the day. Everything has gone well so far. We are two days behind the day fixed for starting, but General Grant's telegraph was two days reaching Colonel Allen, and we have been at least two days detained by extreme scarcity of fuel. I shall go down with the fleet, so as to discharge as many boats as possible, as we have left none to do our transportation from Saint Louis. General Sherman is a trump, and makes things move. I like his business mode of doing things, his promptness and decision.

Very respectfully,

L. B. PARSONS,

Colonel and Aide-de-Camp.

COLUMBUS, Ky., December 20, 1862.

Major-General HALLECK, General-in-Chief:

Communication with General Grant has been stopped by the cutting of the line, both railroad and telegraph, for the last two days. Forrest's