Army of the Tennessee. I will make an order to drop them from out returns, so as to leave them exclusively to you. I suppose Helena will also fall to your command. According to the returns you have four companies of the Thirty-second Iowa, and the other six are in this department, namely, Island No. 10 and Columbus. I have ordered these down and think the regiment, which has long been cut up, should be reunited. I would respectfully request that you send the four companies to Memphis, or, if you need the regiment more than I do, I will let out have the six. The regiment should be united, and the lesser detachment, as a rule, should go to the larger. You will be pained to hear that Duke is dead. I rode him on our march to Bridgeport, when, learning that forage was very scarce up at Chattanooga, I left him in charge of Lieutenant-Colonel Lee Duc, quartermaster at Bridgeport, with special instructions as to feed and care. I took other inferior horses with me to Chattanooga and Knoxville; these did well,but on my return to Bridgeport I found Duke dead. Doubtless he was kept on shelled corn exclusively. They have no hay in that army, and animals have died by the thousand. I never had a horse that suited me so well as Duke, and I was indebted to you for him, and it gives me real pain to tell you of his death from this cause. I should like to hear from you.

Your friend,

W. T. SHERMAN,

Major-General.

HEADQUARTERS SEVENTEENTH ARMY CORPS,
Vicksburg, Miss., January 21, 1864.

Acting Master THOMAS McELROY,

Commanding Gun-boat Petrel:

SIR: You will proceed with your boat to the mouth of the Yazoo River and remain there until Colonel E. D. Osband's command, on the steam-boats Madison, Chenango, and Era, come along, when you will convoy them to Snyder's Bluff, where the command is to disembark. You will remain in the vicinity of Snyder's and Haynes' Bluffs, and cruise up the Yazoo River toward Yazoo City as far as your judgment sanctions, until further orders, destroying all trains and other means which the rebels may have for crossing the Yazoo River.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JAS. B. McPHERSON,

Major-General.

SPECIAL ORDERS,
HEADQUARTERS FORCES IN THE FIELD,

No. 6. January 21, 1864.

In accordance with instructions from department headquarters. Brigadier-General Spears' command of East Tennessee troops will be attached to the Twenty-third Army Corps, and the commanding officer will report to Brigadier-General Cox until further orders.

By command of Major-General Parke:

SAML. WRIGHT,

Assistant Adjutant-General.