talking among the men. Care will be taken to prevent the men from straggling.

The command will encamp for the night on the plateau in front of Ringgold Gap, near Catoosa Station.

By command of Brigadier-General Johnson:

E. T. WELLS,

Captain 89th Illinois Infantry, Actg. Asst. Adjt. General

HDQRS. LEFT WING, SIXTEENTH ARMY CORPS,
Pulaski, Tenn., February 26, 1864

Brigadier General JOHN A. RAWLINS,

Chief of Staff, Nashville, Tenn.:

GENERAL: I send some of the minor details from the reports of scout sent to Atlanta and Rome, Ga., and Montgomery, Ala. The scout is one of our best men, and very intelligent.

The fortifications around Atlanta are simply three lines of rifle-pits, surrounding the place, and on the Chattahooche River, 11 miles north of Atlanta, commencing at the island, they are putting up works running down to the railroad bridge. These works have been lately commenced, and every tenth negro has been impressed to work on them.

At Rome General Brown, with a brigade of infantry, is at work on fortifications; Captain Green is engineer. Near the bridge over the Oostenaula River, on east side of river, a large fort is being built which commands approach from Alabama on the west. Near it are some 32-pounder guns, not mounted. This line of fortifications as laid out but only partially built, runs up this river to the mountains north of town and connects with another fort, laid out but not built, that commands the road running in from the north between the two rivers. from this fort four lines of rifle-pits now being worked on run to the Etowah River, some distance above the bridge over this river. Near this bridge a battery is built that covers the bridge and a small village on south side of river called Lick Skillet.

During the first part of February troops, mostly Tennessee, North Alabama, Kentucky, and Arkansas regiments, were moved to Mississippi to prevent desertions and Southern Alabama and Mississippi troops were brought up to supply their places. This movement lasted till about the 12th. At Kingston, Cave Springs, Marietta, White Plains, and Cross Plains are some 6,000 cavalry horses, with some cavalry with them. The stock is in very poor condition.

Grigsby's brigade was relieved at the front by Humes', 1,500 strong, and went to Oxford, Benton County, Ala., the terminus of the railroad running toward Rome, Ga., from Selma.

Forage is very scarce everywhere, except in Coosa Valley, where there is plenty of corn. Meat also is very scarce everywhere, and the army at Dalton, which he says is about 25,000 men strong, is on half rations. Where he was the new conscript act had not as yet been very vigorously enforced, but preparations were being made to rake up everybody. All the State troops of Georgia have been turned over to the Confederacy, and on the 21st of January they were given twenty days' furlough. Alabama had not yet turned over her State troops.

He gives troops stationed as follows: Atlanta, 5,000; Rome, 3,000;