WAR DEPARTMENT,

Washington City, November 25, 1864.

Major-General HOOKER, Cincinnati:

No order has been made or contemplated transferring headquarters of Northern Department to Columbus. Newspapers are not very good authority for the action of this Department.

EDWIN. M. STANTON,

Secretary of War.

CITY POINT, VA., November 25, 1864.

Major-General HALLECK, Washington:

I think it advisable to send orders to Missouri that all the troops coming from there shall receive their directions from General Thomas and not listen to conflicting orders.

U. S. GRANT,

Lieutenant-General.

NASHVILLE, November 25, 1864-11 a.m.

(Received 7 p.m.)

Lieutenant-General GRANT, City Point:

Your dispatch of 4 p.m. yesterday just received. Hood's entire army is in front of Columbia, and so greatly outnumbers mine at this time that I am compelled to act on the defensive. None of General Smith's troops have arrived yet, although they embarked at Saint Louis on Tuesday last. The transportation of Generals Hatch's and Grierson's cavalry was ordered by General Washburn, I am told, to be turned in at Memphis, which has crippled the only cavalry I have at this time. All of my cavalry was dismounted to furnish horses to Kilpatrick's division, which went with General Sherman. My dismounted cavalry is now detained at Louisville awaiting arms and horses-horses are arriving slowly and arms have been detained somewhere en route for more than a month. General Grierson has been delayed by conflicting orders in Kansas and from Memphis, and it is impossible to say when he will reach here. Since being placed in charge of affairs in Tennessee I have lost nearly 15,000 men, discharged by expiration of service and permitted to go home to vote. My gain is probably 12,000 of perfectly raw troops, therefore, as the enemy so greatly outnumbers me both in infantry and cavalry, I am compelled for the present to act on the defensive. The moment I can get my cavalry I will march against Hood, and if Forrest can be reached he will be punished.

GEO. H. THOMAS,

Major-General, U. S. Volunteers, Commanding.

WASHINGTON, November 25, 1864-12 m.

Major General G. H. THOMAS, Nashville, Tenn.:

The Secretary of War authorizes you, if you deem it necessary, to call upon the Governor of Indiana and of any other Western State for militia. As this force is so very expensive, as compared with its value against an enemy, it should be used as sparingly as circumstances will admit. Dispatches just received from Hilton Head indicate that Sherman has captured Macon and Milledgeville, and that Beauregard has