[Second indorsement.]

HEADQUARTERS CENTER GRAND DIVISION,
Camp near Potomac Creek, Va., December 5, 1862.

Respectfully referred to Brigadier-General Stoneman for a report on the within.

By command of Major-General Hooker:

JOS. DICKINSON,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

[Third indorsement.]

CAMP NEAR FALMOUTH, VA., December 6, 1862.

The division I commanded left Poolesville, Md., and crossed the Potomac River, October 28, 1862. After we had crossed, I gave directions to have everything belonging to the command, except a few sick men, brought across to Leesburg, Va., and the ordnance officer of the division says he knows of no ordnance stores or arms that were left behind.

As to what arrived after we left, and which no one in the command knew anything about, I refer the authorities to the inclosed statement of Lieutenant Graves, ordnance officer of the division, for information.

As to the property left at Leesburg, Va., reference is made to the statement of Surgeon Hawkins, left at Leesburg in charge of hospital, by which it will be seen that not a penny's worth was captured by the enemy. It seems, however, that Colonel Collis, contrary to orders, did not remove all his property from Poolesville, but left "about 20 muskets and a box and a half of cartridges," so that the report that has been made to the Commander-in-Chief has some show of foundation. General Birney did not join the command until after it left Leesburg, so that he could have left nothing at either of the places mentioned.

I saw one report in the newspapers that put the capture up to 2,000 stand of arms.

GEORGE STONEMAN,

Brigadier-General of Volunteers.

[Inclosure No. 1.]

HEADQUARTERS FIRST DIVISION, THIRD CORPS, December 6, 1862.

Captain A. J. ALEXANDER,
Assistant Adjutant-General:

CAPTAIN: I have the honor to state that during the mont of October, while this division was stationed near Poolesville, Md., I made requisition for about 400,000 rounds of ball cartridges, and such other ordnance stores as were needed at that time by the command, and forwarded the same through the usual channels to headquarters of the army, for approval.

Instead of returning the requisition to me after approval, as is the usual course, so that I might draw the stores when convenient and practicable, it seems that it was sent immediately to Washington, and the military storekeeper at the Arsenal turned over the stores to the Quartermaster's Department, to transport to Poolesville, Md. About twenty days after, when the division was near the Rappahannock, I received by mail "invoices of stores turned over to Captain Ely for transportation" to me at Poolesville. I immediately returned those