in forwarding and receiving mails for the army. The cars are obliged to stop about 5 miles from the city, and the mail is carried there for distribution. There is not only delay, but difficulty in communicating with the city. If the mail for the army was put upon in the Richmond post-office, or if the traveling agent on the cars was authorized to make it up and deliver it to the chief quartermaster of the army, the difficulty would be removed. I have the honor to request that you will give such orders in the case as may be considered best by you.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

R. E. LEE,

General.

SPECIAL ORDERS,
ADJT. AND INSPECTOR GENERAL'S OFFICE,

No. 278.
Richmond, Va., November 27, 1862.

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V. Major General W. W. Loring, having been relieved from the command of the Department of Western Virginia at his own request, will proceed to Jackson, Miss., and report for duty to Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton, commanding,&c.

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By command of the Secretary of War:

JNO. WITHERS,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA, November 228, 1862.

Hon. JAMES A. SEDDON,
Secretary of War, Richmond, Va.:

SIR: Your letter of the 26th instant has been handed to me by Brigadier General R. A. Pryor. There is not an unattached regiment in this portion of the army,or a Virginia regiment in a brigade formed of troops from other States. There are five Virginia brigades in this corps, commanded, respectively, by Generals Kemper, Armistead, Mahone, Garnett, and Corse - all from Virginia. Their brigades are composed entirely of Virginia regiments. I do not, therefore, think it would be advantageous to the public service to break up these brigades, or to displace their commanders, in order to assign General Pryor to a command. In General Jackson's corps there are also five Virginia brigades, composed entirely of troops from that State, except General Taliaferro's, which consists of three Virginia and two Alabama regiments. These latter I purpose, when an opportunity offers, to place with two Alabama regiments in Longstreet's corps, now commanded by Brigadier-General Law, to form his brigade. General Taliaferro, I understand, is still absent from his brigade, in consequence of a wound received in battle, and General Pryor might be assigned, temporarily, to its command; but when it became necessary of dismember General Pryor's brigade, I thought the public interest would be much advanced by placing him on duty with the troops operating on the Blackwater, with which country he is familiar, and he possesses, in addition, the confidence of that community. I still think that his reserve at this time will be more valuable in that region that region than elsewhere.

I understand there are two regiments of cavalry detached from General Robertson, who is in North Carolina doing duty on the Blackwater,