WASHINGTON, D. C., January 14, 1864.

Major General U. S. GRANT:

Dr. Kittoe has been promoted as you requested. Orders were issued some time since that Brigadier General George Crook report for duty to General Kelley, Department of West Virginia. As he may have never received it, please give him such order.

H. W. HALLECK,

General-in-Chief.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE CUMBERLAND,
Chattanooga, January 14, 1864.

Major-General GRANT,

Nashville:

I am assured by the engineer of the Running Water bridge that the road will be completed to this place to-day by 2 p.m. Day before yesterday I telegraphed Colonel Donaldson to have trains loaded for this place and started from Nashville yesterday. We are to-day entirely out of forage and short of rations, the result of endeavoring to supply General Foster and ourselves by steam-boat. Now that the railroads is finished, Mr. Anderson should be required to have as many trains running as can be put on the road. So far, instead of getting ahead, our supplies are decreasing. With he railroad operated to its full capacity we certainly ought to accumulate supplies here and be able tom give two or three steam-boats to Foster. I will write you at length to-day.

GEO. H. THOMAS,

Major-General.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE CUMBERLAND,
Chattanooga, January 14, 1864.

Major General U. S. GRANT,

Commanding Military Div. of the Miss., Nashville, Tenn.:

GENERAL: The engineers on the Running Water bridge have assured me that the railroad will be completed and in running order to this place to-day at 2 p.m.

General Crook reports that the Nashville and Decatur Road will be completed by the 15th February. In anticipation of the completion of the Nashville and Chattanooga Road, I telegraphed Colonel Donaldson to have all the trains to come from Nashville to Bridgeport loaded for this place, the first two with forage, as our animals were entirely without food, the next with provisions, so that we could send some to General Foster.

In this connection I must say that I cannot possibly supply General Foster's demands and this command, too, unless Mr. Anderson does his share of the work. He ought to have had by this time something like 200 or 250 freight cars at Nashville, with a corresponding number of motive power to put to work as soon as the road was open, yet the department at Bridgeport has never been properly supplied,