Bluff, stack arms, and rest. Men may make fires in hollows 500 yards back of picket line.

II. General Morgan's left is on the bayou and the other divisions and their pickets will connect with him. General Steele's division will be held in reserve along Chickasaw Bayou, with pickets on its east side. The enemy will doubtless shell our positions, but our artillery must not reply unless with a certainty of execution. The ammunition must not be wasted, as they will fire at our whole camp instead of a distinct object. Our artillery should be covered by earthworks, and commanders of infantry brigades will, on application of any artillery officer lying near him, furnish details for this work.

The First and Second Divisions will furnish working parties of a regiment each, who will report to Captain Jenney, of the Engineers, with all the axes to be had, to corduroy the road from the landing to camp. The regiments at the steamboat landings will furnish 100 men each, with due proportion of officers, to work the road along the levee. They must corduroy all the boggy ground. Rations can be had at Lake's artillery ammunition at headquarters and on board the boat General Anderson. Musket ammunition should be carefully husbanded and distributed in each division. All musket ammunition not now in the boxes of men or in regimental wagons will forthwith be sent on board the General Anderson and delivered to Lieutenant Neely, ordnance officer, who will receipt for the same and reissue to regimental commanders, so that each man has on his person 60 rounds. This should be attended to at once.

All absentees not wounded must be collected and reports made to respective headquarters of the killed, wounded, and missing.

By order of Major General W. T. Sherman:

J. H. HAMMOND,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

LA FAYETTE, December 31, 1862.

Colonel JOHN A. RAWLINS:

Arrived here this evening from Memphis. Will get to Holly Springs by noon to-morrow. No late news at Memphis. All reports confirm the taking of Vicksburg by Sherman, but no particulars can be obtained.

General McClernand and his 49 staff officers chartered the steamer Tigress and started for Vicksburg yesterday. Hurlbut thinks the enemy have erected batteries on the river that will prevent Mack from getting down. Holmes is moving against Helena, but there is sufficient force there to protect the place. General Gorman is moving upon Little Rock by steamers. No damage has been done the railroad between Memphis and this point. The country is full of guerrillas, who will destroy the trestle-work and small bridges unless they are protected. A regiment could protect the road from here to Memphis and no time ought to be lost in sending it forward. Hurlbut has no troops that he can possible spare.

I examined the telegraph closely. There is but little wire missing; the line can be repaired in a day.

There is no wood for railroad at Memphis, but there is an abundance of dry wood along the road.

T. S. BOWERS,

Aide-de-Camp.