adjutant-general Army of the Cumberland. Should the future operations of your cavalry assume the shape and direction you now anticipate, and Eastport, on the Tennessee River, become a base of supplies for the army, that point is as accessible by water, or more so from Louisville as from Nashville, with much greater, facilities of transportation at the former place, besides the great saving in time, labor, and expense of shipment to Nashville and reshipment from Nashville and reshipment from Nashville to Eastport. Under these circumstances, is not Louisville the proper point for the accumulation of horses, equipments, and arms for the supply of your command, even should an active campaign be immediately inaugurated? The Cavalry Bureau has ample means for the supply of any number of remounts you may require, and the simple question is as to the best mode of getting, the horses to the commands requiring them. Shall the men be sent to Louisville for remounts or shall the horses be shipped to the men? I appreciate fully the objections to sending regiments so far to the rear for equipment. On the other, hand there are practical difficulties in the way of shipment either to Nashville or Eastport. I have, however, submitted the latter point to General Allen, chief quartermaster Military Division of the Mississippi, and will send you his reply as soon as received. If transportation can be had, I will send 2,000 horses to Eastport by water for Hatch's division. with as little delay as possible. You propose sending the dismounted men north of the Ohio River with power to impress horses, provided authority is received from that object. Would this not consume as much, or move, time as to send them to Louisville? The horses can be had here. The delay heretofore has been caused more by the want of arms and equipments than from any other cause. i fully concur with you as to the wisdom of the policy you propose for the recuperation of broken down, diseased, or enfeebled cavalry stock, and had, previous to the reception of your letter, taken measures for the inauguration of a system on that subject. The following extract from a letter of instructions addressed by to Captain Wilson, acting assistant quartermaster, cavalry depot at Nashville, will put you in possession of my views on that head:

Stabling for the accommodation of only 4,000 horses, with store-roms, shops, &c., upon the same scale is the extent to which you are limited at present. So soon as these are completed I expect you to have on hand constantly about 4,000 horses- 2,000 of these will be first-class serviceable horses, and 2,000 first-class unserviceable. The first-class, serviceable, to be shipped to you from time to time from this depot. (The number of first-calls unserviceable can be increased if you (General Wilson) should so advise.) The unserviceable to be kept for recuperation. You will understand that, until otherwise directed by the Cavalry Bureau, the main depot will be at Louisville. Horses easily recuperated, and which can be put in serviceable condition in a short time is the only class of unserviceable cavalry stock to bare kept at Nashville. All others (except such as are not worth transporting there, to be sold by you at Nashville) are to be shipped at once to Louisville to Captain John T. Allen, assistant quartermaster, cavalry depot at that place. An inspector will inspect all unserviceable cavalry horses received at Nashville and divide them into four classes. First class: Horses but slightly injured, or such as only require rest, good forage, and good grooming for a short time, say thirty days (this time can be increased, If General Wilson thinks it best) to be made fit for reissue, these to be kept at Nashville, and recuperated at your depot. Second class: All horses unserviceable, but which are cable of being recuperated and made fit for reissue, but not coming under the head of first-class unserviceable, as above defined (this class of stock I would here remark would require from three to four months to recuperate), to be shipped to Captain Allen, assistant quartermaster, depot at Louisville. Third class: Horses so broken down injured or otherwise in condition not capable of recuperation so as to be made fit for reissue, but which would pay for shipment to Louisville for sale, to be sent to Captain Allen, assistant quartermaster, &c., to be sold by him at public auction. Fourth class: Horses comparatively worthless, and which would not pay for shipment ot Louisville there to be condemned and sold at public auction at Nashville by the quartermaster of the depot.