shortly after the moon rises to-night, and move toward Chattanooga.

The troops of the Twelfth Corps and those of the Fourth Corps will resume their original positions west of Lookout Mountain and on the road to Bridgeport.

Osterhaus' division will be halted at a convenient point between Chattanooga and Rossville, and the commanding officer will report to General Grant for instructions. Execute the orders received from General Grant in reference to the destruction of property at Ringgold. It is reported, on what seems good authority, that some of our dead lie unburied on the battle-field of Chickamauga. Order a detail from the command of General Cruft, or the whole command if necessary, to return via Chickamauga and bury them.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

J. J. REYNOLDS,

Major-General, and Chief of Staff.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE CUMBERLAND, Chattanooga, January 15, 1864.

GENERAL: I have the honor to report the operations of my command from December 1 to 31, 1863, as follows:

December 1, General Hooker returned to Chattanooga from Ringgold with Geary's division, of the Twelfth Corps, and Osterhaus' division, of the Fifteenth Corps. Cruft's two brigades, of the First Division, Fourth Corps, were ordered to proceed to Chickamauga battle-field and bury such of our dead as still remained unburied by the rebels. This duty finished, they were to return to their former positions on the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, between Whiteside's and Bridgeport. General Hooker, on evacuating Ringgold, destroyed the railroad depot and other buildings, as well as such captured property as could not be removed. General Granger's corps marched to the relief of Knoxville, acting in connection with General Sherman's command, which was also moving toward that place. Third Brigade, First Division of Cavalry, Colonel Watkins, of the Sixth Kentucky, commanding, was stationed at Rossville, with an infantry support of two regiments, to guard our south front. General Elliott, with the First Cavalry Division, was ordered to proceed from his position, in the vicinity of Sparta, to Kingston, East Tennessee. He received later instructions, to the effect that in case he did not reach that place in time to participate in the pursuit of Longstreet, he was to establish his headquarters at Athens, and throw out posts as far as possible to the southeast to observe the movements of the enemy in that direction.

Information give by deserters from the enemy places the rebel army in our front as follows: Cleburne's division is at Tunnel Hill, and the balance of the army is stationed between there and Dalton. They state that the troops are very much demoralized, the men being very much scattered from their regiments, and desertions are numerous. Buckner's corps was not in the battles in front of Chattanooga, it having gone to the assistance of Longstreet seven or eight days previous.

December 3, Colonel George P. Buell, Fifty-eighth Indiana Volunteers, commanding Pioneer Brigade, commenced constructing a double-track wagon road over the nose of Lookout Mountain.

December 13, General Gillem reports from Nashville that he had