CAMP NELSON, KY., November 19, 1863.

(Received 4.20 p.m.)

Hon. E. M. STANTON:

I have the honor to report that we have in store here over 600,000 rations. We can daily, if necessary,throw to this place from Cincinnati from 400,000 to 500,000 rations. There is great want of transportation from this to Knoxville, and the very bad state of the roads forces me to the belief that unless some other route than that now used, by the Cumberland Gap, be substituted, there will be great danger of our troops in East Tennessee suffering from the want of commissary supplies. A telegram this morning is received from General Burnside, directing all stores, &c., en route from this to Knoxville to be turned back to this place, as the enemy was encamped around him. I go to Louisville to-day.

J. P. TAYLOR.

BRIDGEPORT, November 19, 1863.

General GRANT:

General Dodge reports no work in progress on the road between him and Nashville, and says the Pioneer Corps at Columbia have no orders. Had you better not send some officer to Nashville to pass along the line and put everybody to work on the smaller bridges, leaving the large ones to be finished by Anderson, or give Dodge command of everything between Nashville and Decatur?

W. T. SHERMAN,

Major-General.

LOUISVILLE, November 19, 1863.

Major-General GRANT:

The machine-shops at New Albany are employed in building engines for some of General Ellet's rams. To facilitate the building of the engines required by General Meigs, cannot the work on these rams be suspended? I imagine when completed they will not be wanted.

R. ALLEN,

Brigadier-General and Quartermaster.

CHATTANOOGA, November 19, 1863.

Brig. Gen. ROBERT ALLEN,

Chief Quartermaster, Louisville, Ky.:

Under the circumstances send the wagons and harness to Hurlbut and a portion of the mules, if you can. By all means stop work at the machine-shops for Ellet's rams and set their whole force at work for engines on our roads.

If Hurlbut give up a portion of the road from Memphis to Corinth, a number of cars and locomotive can be brought from there, and also all used between Columbus, Union City, and Paducah can be brought. I will telegraph Hurlbut at once to send all he can.

U. S. GRANT,

Major-General.