certained who wrote the letter to the Republican by a letter written from Saint Louis to Lieutenant-Colonel Peckham, who showed the paragraph to Captain Charles McDonald, assistant adjutant-general to General Stuart, and I have taken other steps to advise you in regard to it. I now give you the means by referring to General Steele and his staff, who were on the Continental and heard my conversations, of ascertaining whether this letter is not in strict consonance with what I said in their hearing, and whether I have not invariably expressed myself in the kindest manner toward you, and in a manner entirely becoming in a brother officer engaged in a common object.

I am well aware, also, that you planned and in a great measure executed the movement against Arkansas Post, and have not failed to say what I knew of it on proper occasions.

I hope to receive no more letters of the same character from you and shall not answer them in the same spirit if I do. I have forborne something I thought was due to myself in making this response after the very explicit declarations I made to you some days since in the presence of Generals Steele and Stuart.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

FRANK P. BLAIR,

Brigadier-General.

P. S.-I repeat that I desire this letter may be made known to the officers present at the examination Mr. Knox, and then you can make any use you please of it. I do not place the restrictions on its use which you impose on yourself in your letter.

GENERAL ORDERS, HDQRS. DEPT. OF THE TENNESSEE,

Numbers 12. Young's Point, La., February 1, 1863.

The proceedings of the court of inquiry convened at Holly Springs, Miss., by Special Orders, Numbers 2, of date January 2, 1863, from these headquarters, and of which Lieutenant Colonel De Witt C. Loudon, of the Seventieth Ohio Volunteers Infantry, was president, to inquire into and investigate the allegations and charges of disloyalty against the One hundred and ninth Illinois, Infantry Volunteers, exonerates said regiment, from all suspicion of disloyalty, satisfactory vindicates its innocence, and places it when the general commanding hoped to find it-among the pure and patriotic in their country's defense. That whatever cause for suspicion or charges of disloyalty there were arose from the conduct and declarations of the following-named officers, who are hereby dismissed the service of the United Service of the United States, with forfeiture of pay and allowances, to take effect from this date, for the offenses of which they are severally shown to be guilty:

Lieutenant Colonel Elijah A. Willard, for disobedience of orders, and deserting his command in the face of an enemy, that he might be taken prisoner.

Captain John M. Rich, for disobedience of orders, encouraging his men to desert, and discouraging his men from fighting in the face of the enemy.

Captain Thomas Boswell, for encouraging his men to desert, that they might be captured and paroled, and advising them to apply for discharges for slight causes; also for trying to impress upon the minds of the officers and men of his regiment that they were embraced in the surrender of Holly Springs by Colonel Murphy, on the 20th day of December, 1862, well knowing the same to be false.