and the occupation of the whole South will then be but a matter of a few weeks' time. Excuse, general, the liberty I have taken in expressing my views thus freely and unsolicited. I have no other motive than a desire for the nation's good and a personal wish to serve where my little command can do the most. The change I suggest would, of course, deprive me of my department command; but this would be a small loss to me or to the service. The present arrangement is an unsatisfactory one at best. Nominally, I command both a department and an army in the field; but in fact, I do neither.

I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

J. M. SCHOFIELD,

Major-General.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE CUMBERLAND,
Pulaski, Tenn., December 27, 1864.

Major General J. M. SCHOFIELD,

Commanding Twenty-third Army Corps, Columbia:

Your dispatch of last evening is received. I think that inasmuch as the force now in the advance and in pursuit of Hood is sufficient to drive him over the Tennessee River, that it is better you should remain at or near Columbia with your command, concentrating and adjusting it so that you could move to Decatur, if necessary, or any other point, according to circumstances, without delay. In the meantime I wish you to have your engineer brigade construct the trestle bridge over Duck River, as at first suggested by you. The roads down here are almost impassable, and it is a difficult matter to supply the troops and animals that are here now. I will remain in camp at this place to-day.

GEO. H. THOMAS,

Major-General of Volunteers, Commanding.

COLUMBIA, TENN., December 27, 1864.

Major General GEORGE H. THOMAS,

Pulaski, Tenn.:

I have received your dispatch of this a.m., and will carry out your wishes. My engineer are now at work on the trestle bridge with all the additional force that can be used. If the troops in front are likely to get out of rations I might help them by sending forward as far as Pulaski a section of my supply train. I have one here loaded with about 45,000 rations that I can spare.

J. M. SCHOFIELD,

Major-General.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE CUMBERLAND,
Pulaski, December 27, 1864.

Major-General SCHOFIELD,

Columbia:

Yours of this day received. The major-general commanding is much obliged to you for your proffer to send section of your train to this place with rations. Please do so at once, and trains from the front will take the stores beyond this.

WM. D. WHIPPLE,

Brigadier-General, &c.