intrusted to you to Major-General Halleck; make the representations concerning the troops, &c., to his Excellency the President and the General-in-Chief, which I have charged you with. Proceed to Baltimore, get the returns of the troops in General Schenck's department; organize a column of 15, 000 troops to move without delay to Frederick. You will report your progress by telegraph, and rejoin headquarters as soon as you have accomplished your mission. It is expected that you will complete this duty in two days. You will lose no time in fulfilling your instructions and returning. Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JOSEPH HOOKER,

Major-General, Commanding.

I visited Washington and Baltimore on the 25th and 26th. Before starting, I telegraphed Major-General Heintzelman, requesting that a copy of his returns might be at my disposal when I reached Washington. On my arrival there, I was unable to find General Heintzelman, or any of his staff, at his headquarters; therefore could get from him no report of the forces in and about the Defenses of Washington. I then called immediately upon Major-General Halleck, General-in-Chief, handed him my letter of instructions to read, and stated to him the purposes of my visit. General Halleck replied that no troops could be spared from the Defenses of Washington. I stated to him that General Hooker desired me to say that he deemed it proper to give the enemy battle in front of Washington or Baltimore rather than near those places, as the most proper place to defend them. Receiving no assurance of any troops from General Halleck, in accordance with my letter of instructions, I called upon His Excellency the President, and laid my letter of instructions before him, repeating your verbal instructions. The President sent for Major-General Halleck, before whom my instructions were again laid, with the inquiry from the President if he could furnish any troops. General Halleck replied that he considered it unsafe to take any more troops from the Defenses of Washington; that there were several millions of public property in the shape of quartermaster's and commissary supplies and ordnance stores: that the secessionists might rise and burn this property at any time unless it was strongly guarded. He considered the state of public feeling such as to justify him in anticipating such results in case any portion of the troops were withdrawn. He alluded also to the public buildings as well as the property of the civil government, and considered it unwise to weaken further the garrison of the city. The President stated to me that I had heard what General Halleck's views were, and that it would be impossible to get any more troops from Washington. I requested of His Excellency that I might be permitted to examine the returns of the troops, in accordance with my instructions. Major-General Halleck was directed to exhibit these returns to me. From them I took the following memoranda, showing the strength, & c.:

Garrison, 10, 347; city guard, 5, 402; Abercrombie, 6, 772; Crawford, 3, 518; Jewett, added to Army of the Potomac, 1, 221; Stahel, added to Army of the Potomac, 3, 742; paroled prisoners, 2, 284; [Camp] Distribution, 682; detachment Pennsylvania Reserves, 782. Total footing of General Heintzelman's report, and not the footing of the above, 36, 640.