The brigade going to La Grange will have to guard the railroad west to Moscow.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

[JAS. B. McPHERSON,]

Major-General.

HEADQUARTERS SEVENTEENTH ARMY CORPS,
Holly Springs, Miss., January 8, 1863.

Brigadier General JOHN A. LOGAN,

Commanding Third Division, La Grange:

GENERAL: As soon as your division is relieved by General Denver's you will move your command west, relieving General McArthur's division. Orders have been sent to General Denver to move his division immediately to relieve yours. But for fear there may be some difficulty in sending the order from here via Salem I have inclosed a copy which I wish you to send him from Grand Junction. His command is stationed on the north side of Wolf River, between Spring Hill and naan.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

[JAS. B. McPHERSON,]

Major-General.

SPECIAL ORDERS,
HDQRS. SECOND CORPS, ARMY OF THE MISS.,

Numbers 5.
Montgomery Point, January 8, 1863.

I. The corps will start to-morrow at 8 a.m. The boats must keep in their exact order, about 100 yards apart:

First, Forest Queen; second, Continental, followed by boats of the First, Second, and Third Brigades of Steele's division; third, we Westmoreland, followed by boats of the First and Second Brigades of Stuart's division.

II. Two companies on each boat must be armed and equipped ready to return a fire if a boat is fired on from shore. In case of the firing a volley or anything indicating a force the boat fired at will run by and land above, while the succeeding boats will land below, and promptly attack the party, unless a gunboat be near, when it will shell the place from which the firing comes.

III. On reaching the place of disembarkation each division commander will send to disembark men, arms, horses, wagons, &c., for a five days' operation similar to our move at Yazoo. A small guard of the sick will remain at each boat, but any man remaining with the boat without the written detail of the colonel will be treated as deserting his colors in action.

By order of Major General W. T. Sherman:

J. H. HAMMOND,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

LA GRANGE, TENN., January 9, 1863-1 p.m.

Major General H. W. HALLECK, General-in-Chief:

Sherman has returned to Napoleon. His loss was small. Will send you the particulars as soon as learned. I will start for Memphis immediately, and will do everything possible for the capture of Vicksburg.

U. S. GRANT,

Major-General, Commanding.