ODIN, ILL, January 19, 1865-6 p. m.

C. A. DANA,

Assistant Secretary of War:

Missed connection here. Will be in Louisville in the morning. Dispatches just received showing about half of the corps had passed Louisville by 3 p. m. to-day, and all the balance in the Ohio at that hour.

PARSONS.

HEADQUARTERS FOURTH ARMY CORPS,
Huntsville, Ala., January 19, 1865.

General KIMBALL:

GENERAL: The recent capture of trains sent on foraging expeditions without proper guards shows that the orders in regard to escorts for forage trains have not been carried out. Hereafter a detail of ten men will be sen with each wagon that goes out foraging, and when the detail for guard exceeds 100 men a field officer will be sent in charge. One-half of the guard will be kept under arms and on the alert, while the remaining half is collecting the forage. A proportional number of officers and non-commissioned officers must always accompany each detail for guard.

By order of Brigadier-General Wood:

WM. H. SINCLAIR,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

(Copy to Generals Elliott and Beatty, Major Godspeed, and Captain Laubach.)

HEADQUARTERS FOURTH ARMY CORPS,
Huntsville, Ala., January 19, 1865.

Brigadier-General KIMBALL:

GENERAL: The general commanding directs that you call in all safeguard you have sent or caused to be sent out from command. This order is rendered necessary from the fact that some of the men have already been captured, and all that are ut, especially those at a long distance, are liable to be captured and murdered by guerrillas and bushwhackers any day. If the people cannot keep these villains out of the country we cannot send mn out and expose them to capture and the liability of being murdered, while our only object in sending them out is to protect those that in most cases are and have been enemies to the Federal Government. Every means must be taken to bring up the state of discipline in the command to such a standard that the inhabitants will not require guards to protect them from our own troops. Full rations are now issued to the troops, and there is no reasonable excuse for them to forage on the country for anything except feed for animals. Soldiers who take anything else are simply thieves, and must be punished as such. Any officer who permits men of his command to entered willing-houses while on foraging expeditions will be arrested and tried.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

WM. H. SINCLAIR,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

(Copy to Generals Elliott and Beatty and Major Godspeed.)