GENERAL ORDERS,
HDQRS. DEPT. OF THE CUMBERLAND, 11. Nashville, Tenn., February 15, 1865.

At this own request, Captain A. P. Porter, commissary of subsistence U. S. Army, and lieutenant-colonel and chief commissary Fifth Army Corps, is hereby relieved from duty as chief commissary of this department, and will proceed with his duties as president of the Board of Examiners of Commissaries of Subsistence, established by Special Orders, 366, series 1864, from the War Department: having completed which, he will report by letter to the Adjutant-General of the Army.

Captain J. C. Read, commissary of subsistence of volunteers, is announced as chief commissary of subsistence of the department, and to him Lieutenant-Colonel Porter will turn over all records, funds, and public property now in his possession and belonging to the chief commissary's office. By command of Major-General Thomas:

WM. D. WHIPPLE,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

SPECIAL FIELD ORDERS,
HDQRS. DEPT. OF THE CUMBERLAND, 40. Nashville, February 15, 1865.

* * * *

XV. Bvt. Brigadier General L. D. Watkins, having been charged with the duty of procuring a remount and equipment for the Sixth Cavalry Division, will proceed to Louisville, Ky., and place himself in communication with major Chambliss, special inspector of cavalry, Military Division of the Mississippi number of horses on hand to mount one regiment, General Watkins will notify these headquarters, when an order will be issued for one regiment to proceed to Louisville to procure their horses, arms, and equipments and rejoin its division. In supplying horses Major Chamblis will alternate by regiments between General Johnson's and General Hatch's divisions.

By command of Major-General Thomas:

SOUTHWARD HOFFMAN,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS FOURTH ARMY CORPS,
Huntsville, Ala., February 15, 1865.

Brigadier General W. D. WHIPPLE,

Chief of Staff, Department of the Cumberland:

GENERAL: I write you for the purpose of giving my views upon the condition fa North Alabama, believing that as I am the ranking military officer here I have opportunities of learning the sentiments and feelings of the people which no other one can. The people here as elsewhere that we have occupied the enemy's country are open Unionists, people who are timid about their persons and property, and might be said to be on the fence, and secessionists. It is from this middle or kind of neutral class that we have much to except. It is by gaining recruits from the ranks of this class that we may hope eventually to control the State against the necessionists. If I understand the political contest to be decided in the general election next August, it is between a conservative or reconstructionist, which is only another name for Unionist on one side and a secessionist on the other, and the Union men here tell me they have a very fair prospect of electing their candidate. Under this state of affairs I deem it sound policy to make