Sparta. Captain Lewis, the officer in command at McMinnville, reports that some of Lyon's men are in the mountains east of Sparta, and are said to have some artillery with them, and it is rumored that Wheeler's vagabonds are crossing the Tennessee River in squads and expect to unite somewhere for a raid, but he (Lewis) is ready for them. I go over to Fayetteville to-morrow to be absent three days.

R. H. MILROY,

Major-General.

LOUISVILLE, KY., March 1, 1865-3 p.m.

Lieutenant-General GRANT,

City Point, Va.:

Your telegram of 27th received yesterday. You cannot be more anxious to have me get off than I am to go. The delay has been due entirely to the difficulty in collecting together the troops, which were very much scattered over Kentucky, and to the deficiency in horses to replace those entirely broken down and lost on their last trip into Virginia. The regiments have been forward as fast as mounted. The last is now being fitted out and will be ready by day after to-morrow. All will go by railroad and water, as this will be much the quickest route; will prevent the horses from being broken down by a long march over the mountains at this season of the year; will enable them to procure plenty of forage en route; will obviate the necessity of taking a wagon train or pack-mules for supplies, and will disguise from the enemy our objects and destination, and will enable us to make up for the unavoidable delay in vigor and dash. I gave orders a month ago to collect all the forage and subsistence possible from East Tennessee, for all animals to be subsisted from the country outside of Knoxville. I leave for Knoxville to-morrow.

GEO. STONEMAN,

Major-General.

LOUISVILLE, March 1, 1865.

Major General GEORGE H. THOMAS:

I leave here to-morrow for Nashville.

GEORGE STONEMAN,

Major-General.

SPECIAL ORDERS,
HDQRS. MIL. DIV. OF WEST MISSISSIPPI, Numbers 60.
Near Orleans, La., March 1, 1865.

1. The following organization of the Sixteenth Army Corps is hereby aannounced:

First Division: First Brigade-Seventy-second Ohio Infantry, Ninety-fifth Ohio Infantry, Tenth Minnesota Infantry, Thirty-third Illinois Infantry (Terre Bonne), Twenty-sixth Indiana Infantry (Thibodeaux). Second Brigade-Eleventh Missouri Infantry, Eighth Wisconsin Infantry, Fifth Minnesota Infantry, Ninth Minnesota Infantry, Forty-seventh Illinois Infantry. Third Brigade-Ninety-third Indiana Infantry, Twelfth Iowa Infantry, Seventh Minnesota Infantry, Thirty-third Missouri Infantry, Thirty-fifth Iowa Infantry. Light artillery-Second Iowa Battery, Third Indiana Battery.

Second Division: First Brigade-One hundred and nineteenth Illinois Infantry, One hundred and twenty-second Illinois Infantry, Eighty-