GENERAL ORDERS,
HDQRS. DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI, Numbers 61.
Saint Louis, Mo., July 6, 1863.

That portion of the State of Missouri lying north of the Missouri River will hereafter constitute the District of Northern Missouri. Brigadier General O. Guitar is assigned to the command. Headquarters Macon City.

By order of Major-General Schofield:

C. W. MARSH,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

SAINT LOUIS, MO.,

July 7, 1863-10.30 p.m.

H. W. HALLECK,

General-in-Chief:

I have embarked two more regiments of infantry for General Grant. This is all I can spare without calling out more militia. Please inform me if you deem this necessary since the fall of Vicksburg. The militia are nearly worthless, except when the danger is apparent.

J. M. SCHOFIELD,

Major-General.

WASHINGTON, July 7, 1863.

Major-General SCHOFIELD, Saint Louis, Mo.:

GENERAL: Yours of July 2 is received. There is no danger at present of any change in the organization of your department. So long as we can be resisted, but on the first disaster they press upon us like a pack of hungry wolves.

The promptness with which you sent troops to General Grant gave great satisfaction here. The fault of commanders of departments generally has been in holding back troops from the field, thus paralyzing a large part of the army to guard unimportant posts not in the theater of active operations. I have tried my very best for the last year to overcome this evil, and to prove to generals that when we concentrate on important points the enemy must do the same. Even if unimportant points are lost, they can easily be recovered after a decisive success in the true strategic position.

I am satisfied that Missouri can, at the present time, be in danger of no serious invasion. Roving bands of guerrillas may do some harm on the southern border, but this is of insignificant consequence, compared with the opening of the Mississippi and Arkansas Rivers. When the latter is held, the war will be entirely removed from Missouri. Do all you can to accomplish this object. Local authorities will complain, but in a few months they will see the wisdom of sending the troops south.

Yours, truly,

H. W. HALLECK,

General-in-Chief.

HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES FORCES,
Fort Blunt, C. N., July 7, 1863.

Major-General BLUNT:

SIR: The enemy are now camped on Elk Creek, 15 miles south of the Arkansas River. They keep heavy stations on picket at every ford of