an officer or soldier from his command, except in cases of sick soldiers in general hospitals, unless issued from department or district headquarters, or with the sanction of district commanders. Officer and soldiers absent from their commands, whose orders do not bear the approval required by this order, will be arrested and sent to their commands, and the papers relating to their cases forwarded to these headquarters. A rigid scrutiny will be made in all cases, and the officer who may issue such irregular orders will subject himself to arrest and trial.

II. Hereafter no transportation or commutation thereof will be allowed to sick soldiers going on furlough, unless on the approval of the chief medical officers of the field or hospital service, attached to the staff of district commanders.

III. Captain C. S. West, assistant adjutant-general, is relieved from duty as assistant inspector-general, and announced as acting judge-advocate-general for the Trans-Mississippi Department.

By command of Lieutenant General E. Kirby Smith:

S. S. ANDERSON,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

RICHMOND, VA., November 27, 1863.

General S. COOPER,

Adjutant and Inspector General, Richmond:

GENERAL: In conformity to orders from the War Department, bearing date August 20, 1862, I have the honor to report my acts in recruiting for the Provisional Army of the Confederate States in Missouri. I reached Dunklin County, Missouri, in the early part of September, 1862, and commenced recruiting. The men of the State turned out cheerfully, so much so that during said month I was enabled to surprise the enemy, 600 strong, stationed at Bloomfield, Mo., killing 15, wounding and capturing many others, and also two pieces of artillery, eight hundred stand of small-arms, a quantity of ammunition, holsters, clothing, medicines, blankets, and other military stores, and this was accomplished with a loss of 1 man killed and 2 wounded. With the articles captured I equipped a regiment, and by the 26th of October I had recruited and had in camp twenty-one organized companies, beside many others partly formed, when the enemy came suddenly upon my encampment at Clarkton, Dunklin County, Missouri, capturing myself and 23 men, together will all my rolls, books, papers, and many other articles. I was taken to Alton, Ill., and, together with the men, exchanged on the 6th of December at Vicksburg, Miss., and sent from there to Jackson, where I remained in charge of exchanged soldiers until the latter part of December, 1862, when I was permitted to return to Missouri to get up my command, which place I reached on the 23rd of January, 1863. On my arrival I found that fourteen companies were in the Confederate States Army, under Colonels Jeffers, Greene, Burbridge, and White. I proceeded at once to collect the men of the remaining companies, who were greatly scattered, and, by reason of the overflow and the enemy, I was unable to see them all or notify them to come to camp.

McNeil, of Missouri Federal notoriety, with a force of from 1,500 to 6,000 men, taking possession of the country, prevented me, situated as I was, without sufficient arms, ammunition, or means of any kind, from progressing as rapidly as I otherwise might have done. On the 9th of April I had collected eight companies, and feeling the necessity of some organization by which things might be properly directed, I proceeded to organize the battalion, which resulted in the choice of S. G. Kitchen for