Schurz) passed through Centreville to Washington. The rest of his corps is with Burnside.

I have the honor to be, with great respect you, obedient servant,

R. E. LEE,

General.

SPECIAL ORDERS,
HEADQUARTERS ARTILLERY CORPS,
No.-.
November 22, 1862.

Major Moore will proceed with his battalion by the most direct route to Richmond, and, on arriving in the vicinity, will report forthwith to General G. W. Smith, there commanding. He will, on the march, use unceasing efforts to have the horses fed and cared for; they are now in bad condition, and must be improved, if possible, for the service likely to be required. He should, after reporting in Richmond, direct his energies to the same end.

W. N. PENDLETON,

Brigadier-General and Chief of Artillery.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA, Camp Fredericksburg, November 23, 1862.

Lieutenant-General JACKSON, Commanding,&c.:

GENERAL: Should my former dispatches have been received, you will have been informed of the position of the enemy and of that portion of the army with me. I will,however, report that General Burnside's whole army is apparently opposite Fredericksburg, stretching from the Rappahannock to the Potomac. Since my last dispatch, General Stuart has reported that Warrenton Junction and Manassas have been abandoned, and the stores collected there burned. The bridges on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, from the Rappahannock to Bull Run, inclusive, have been destroyed, and the indications are that hostile operations in that country have ceased for the winter. General Stuart also reports that two divisions of Sigel's corps (those of Stahel and Carl Schurz) have passed through Centreville, on the way to Washington; and that but three brigades, under Generals Slocum and Geary, were left at Harper's Ferry, and one brigade in Maryland.

Under this view of things, if correct, I do not see, at this distance, what military effect can be produced by the continuance of your corps in the valley. If it were east of the Blue Ridge, either in Loudoun, Fauquier, or Culpeper, its influence would be felt by enemy, whose rear would be threatened, though they might fell safe with regard to their communications. Another advantage would be,provided you were at Culpeper, that you would be in railroad communication with several points, so that the transfer of your troops would be rendered certain, without regard to the state of the weather or the condition of the roads. If, therefore, you see no way of making an impression on the enemy from where you are, and concur with me in the views I have expressed, I wish you would move east of the Blue Ridge, and take such a position as you may find best. There is forage and subsistence in Rappahannock, Culpeper, Madison, and Greene, and, I believe, in Upper Fauquier and Loudoun, all of which ought to be collected and secured.

I am as yet unable to discover what may be the plan of the enemy. He is certainly making no forward movement,though he may be preparing to do so. I am apprehensive that, while keeping a force in our