LITTLE ROCK, ARK., November 14, 1862.

General T. C. HINDMAN,

Commanding Army of the Northwest:

GENERAL: Your telegram* last night gave me much uneasiness. If the enemy should come down via Huntsville your rear will be left open to him and your supplies cut off. If the Indian country is in his possession, it seems to me you had better make a quick expedition and drive him out, with a view to return to your position before Clarksville. If he gets below you are lost. The season is not sufficiently advance to prevent this movement on his part, and you are not strong enough to fight him if he comes down in force. I am greatly alarmed about the small-pox; if it gets among the troops it will be fatal to us. Please, therefore, give orders for the men to be vaccinated at once if the virus can be had, and establish non-intercourse with the infected regions. I will send you up in a few days, or as soon as they arrive, 1,500 arms, making in all sent 5,500. This will arm all your unarmed men. I will also order up to you immediately 7,000 suits of clothes, which is all I have. In regard to the cloth ordered to Vicksburg, it was not from Huntsville, but some French cloth, that was destined originally for Richmond and which I stopped it at once. There is another matter about which I fear we shall have a great to do soon. They have ordered all the officers appointed by the generals east of the Mississippi to be relieved or discharged, those with army commissions to return to their army rank and those without such rank to be discharged. I suppose the blow will come on us next. Please, therefore, make no appointments of any kind not strictly in accordance with law. Every vacancy to be filled by promotion or election, unless the promotion falls on an unworthy subject, to be determined by a regularly organized board. Nothing new from the East.

Yours, very truly,

THE. H. HOLMES,

Major-General, Commanding.

HDQRS. FIRST CORPS, TRANS-MISSISSIPPI ARMY,
Camp and Collins, six miles southeast Fort Smith,

November 14, 1826-8.30 p. m.

Brigadier General J. S. MARMADUKE,

Commanding Fourth Division, Camp at Kidd's Mill:

GENERAL: Your dispatch, dated 13th, 10 p. m., from Kidd's Mill, is just received. The force you refer to seems almost certainly to be the same referred to in General Cooper's letter as marching from Dwight's mission toward the Dutch Mill. The purport of General Cooper's letter was given you in a previous dispatch of this date.

General Hindman expected you would certainly intercept that force. If it has passed, the movement into the Indian country with your whole force will amount to nothing. A detachment would accomplish as much and enable you with your main body to continue your operations at the mill.

Information reached General Hindman this evening that the enemy is moving back to Springfield. Colonel Dobbin reports this from

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*Not found.

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