HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF TENNESSEE,
In the Field, November 21, 1864.

SOLDIERS: You march to-day to redeem by your valor and your arms one of the fairest portions of our Confederacy. This can only be achieved by battle and by victory. Summon up in behalf of a consummation so glorious all the elements of soldiership and all the instincts of manhood, and you will render the campaign before you full of auspicious fruit to your country and lasting renown to yourselves.

J. B. HOOD,

General.

HEADQUARTERS,
Florence, Ala., November 21, 1864.

Major-General FORREST,

Commanding Cavalry:

General Hood desires me to inclose you the within dispatches* from General Beauregard, and directs that you cause Biffle's brigade to move to the points indicated by General Beauregard.

A. P. MASON,

Colonel and Assistant Adjutant-General.

HDQRS. DEPT. OF WEST. VIRGINIA AND EAST TENNESSEE,
Wytheville, Va., November 21, 1864.

Major-General BRECKINRIDGE,

Commanding, & c., East Tennessee:

GENERAL: The increased complaints of operations of bushwhackers on the North Carolina border adjoining Grayson County has rendered it necessary to send a force there, and I have ordered Captain Cantrill with a detachment to proceed there, and in conjunction with a local force which I have arranged to report to him there to disperse them. The work will require a week or ten days at least. I have a communication from Colonel Vandeventer, in Lee County, asking for 100 arms, and reporting the bushwhackers very active. He reports that he has 150 well mounted men, and is organizing the reserves and local forces. I send him some ammunition, but no arms. I find there are still some detachments there without authority. I have ordered him to send all such to join their commands, and by means of the reserves to arrest all the individual deserters and stragglers he can. The country thus cleared of roaming squads claiming to act by authority, there will remain but two classes, the authorized organizations, and the other class of bushwhackers, deserters, and stragglers, against whom a common warfare can be waged. To my mind this is the only policy which will result in any permanent good. I did not send list of prisoners here as stated yesterday, concluding to wait until I would receive the lists from Abingdon and Bristol, which I expect to-morrow. I will then send a consolidated report showing every prisoner by name. I send you papers. There are no letters which I have not been able to attend to.

Very respectfully,

J. STODDARD JOHNSTON,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

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* Probably Beauregard to Hood (two dispatches), November 20, 10 a. m., p. 1226.

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