river to-morrow morning at 6 o'clock. Your boat will lash to the Diadem, and you will be required to station a guard so as to prevent any communication of the men by passing from one boat to the other. One long whistle will be blown to get up steam. In half an hour after the first whistle, a second will be blown, when all will swing from shore into the stream, and proceed in the order designated.

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

W. H. F. RANDALL,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

[FEBRUARY 9, 1865.-For Grant to Canby, relating to assignment of General Grierson to command of cavalry operating from Mobile Bay, &c., see Vol. XLVIII, Part I, p. 786.]

[FEBRUARY 9, 1865.-For Thomas to Canby, relating to transfer of A. J. Smith's infantry, and a division of cavalry, to the Military Division of West Mississippi, see Vol. XLVIII, Part I, p. 786.]

GENERAL ORDERS,
HDQRS. DISTRICT OF SOUTH ALABAMA, Numbers 1.
Dauphin Island, February 9, 1865.

Pursuant to instructions from the major-general commanding the District of West Florida and South Alabama, the undersigned hereby assumes command of the District of South Alabama, comprising the forces on Dauphin Island and Mobile Point. Existing orders will continue in force and reports will be made to these headquarters.

ELLIAS S. DENNIS,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.

SPECIAL ORDERS,
HDQRS. DISTRICT OF SOUTH ALABAMA, Numbers 1.
Dauphin Island, Ala., February 9, 1865.

I. Colonel James H. Coates, Eleventh Illinois Infantry, being senior colonel, Second Brigade, Reserve Corps, is hereby assigned to the command of the brigade.

By order of Brigadier-General Dennis:

W. E. KUHN,
Captain and Assistant Adjutant-General.

NEW ORLEANS, LA., February 10,1 865.

Captain JOS. HIBBERT, JR.,

Asst. Adjt. General, Headquarters Department of the Gulf:

CAPTAIN: Being under orders to resume command of the District of West Florida, I beg leave to lay before the commanding general the following requests: First. I would request orders for the consolidation of the Eighty-second and Eighty-sixth Regiments U. S. Colored Infantry, stationed at Barrancas, with Colonel L. L. Zulavsky, of the Eighty-second Regiment, as commander, and that only those officers be ordered before a board of examination who have not been already examined.