DALTON, January 12, 1864.

His Excellency the PRESIDENT, Richmond:

Unless the management of the railroad from Atlanta is improved we shall be compelled to fall back. The stock of corn provided is generally very bad, and is brought in such small quantities that when bad is received it or none must be issued. Our stock is already suffering. In the last two days a half ration of corn for the army has been received.

J. E. JOHNSTON.

GENERAL ORDERS, HEADQUARTERS HINDMAN'S CORPS,

Numbers 4. Dalton, Ga., January 12, 1864.

I. The following officers of the general staff are attached to these headquarters:

Lieutenant Colonel Archer Anderson, assistant adjutant-general.

Major A. C. Avery assistant inspector-general.

Major J. W. Ratchford, assistant inspector-general.

Major W. C. Duxbury, chief ordnance,officer.

Major Isaac Scherck, chief commissary.

Major E. W. ewing, chief quartermaster.

Surg. J. H. Erskine medical director.

Surg. J. C. Legare, medical inspector.

Asst. Surg. J. F. Young, medical purveyor.

Captain J. Bradford, paymaster.

Captain T. Coleman, chief engineer.

First Lieutenant George M. Helm, assistant engineer.

First Lieutenant John Bellinger, signal officer.

II. Lieutenant Colonel J. w. Bondurant is announced as chief of artillery of the corps, and First Lieutenant Frank Williams as aide-de-camp to the major-general commanding.

By command of Major-General Hindman:

ARCHER ANDERSON,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

MERIDIAN, January 12, 1864.

General MAURY, Mobile:

You say in your letter to General Cooper you are in want of subsistence stores (meat) and ordnance stores, to enable you to sustain a siege. What amount do you want?

L. POLK,

Lieutenant-General.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF,
Mobile, Ala., January 12, 1864.

Lieutenant General L. POLK,

Commanding, &c., Meridian, Miss.:

MY DEAR SIR: From Havana I have received information of preparation to attack Mobile. I hope you will be enabled to prevent my lines of communication from being cut or closed.

There are many thousands of non-combatants here to consume stores and to be exposed to fire, and I hope General Lee, with his cavalry, and such other forces you may give him will detain the enemy long enough to enable the people to get away. I shall send you with your approval, a strong cavalry regiment of Clanton's