DISTRICT OF SOUTH MISSISSIPPI AND EAST LOUISIANA,

Jackson, Miss., February 25, 1865.

Brigadier General WIRT ADAMS,

Commanding District of South Mississippi and East Louisiana:

GENERAL: In obedience to telegram of the 21st instant from department headquarters instructing your seizure of the trans-Mississippi arms at Canton and their immediate transmission to Meridian, Miss., I have the honor to state that upon its being referred to me I at once ordered Ordnance Sergt. J. H. Montford, at Canton, to send them to this point in the following telegram:

By command of General Taylor you will immediately bring to this point all the trans-Mississippi arms and accouterments at Canton. See that this order is executed at once and that you attend them in person.

On the succeeding day, the 22nd instant, I received this reply from Sergeant Montfort:

Track torn up; will start down with guns to-morrow evening.

Instead, however, of the road being repaired by the evening of the 23rd, as intimated in the above dispatch, the train was not able to leave Canton before the afternoon of the 24th, on the night of which it ran off the track in the vicinity of Madison Station, at which point it is now detained, with prospects of reaching here in a day or so.

Hoping, general, this may satisfactorily explain the cause of the detention of these arms, I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

E. R. WARFIELD,

Lieutenant and Ordnance Officer, District of South Miss. and East La.

JACKSON, MISS., February 25, 1865.

Captain W. A. GOODMAN,

Asst. Adjt. General, Chalmers' Div. of Cavalry, Columbus, Miss.:

CAPTAIN: I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of paragraphs XI and XV, Special Orders, Numbers 28, from district headquarters, assigning General Chalmers to the command of the Mississippi cavalry in the district, and providing for its organization into a division of three brigades, to be known as Chalmers' Division, and to be commanded by Brigadier General James R. Chalmers. I beg also to acknowledge receipt of General Orders, Nos. 1 and 2, from division headquarters, with paragraphs IV and V, Special Orders, Numbers 16, accompanying, and to say they shall be executed with as little delay as practicable. The disembarking of a considerable cavalry force at Vicksburg on the 19th instant, its advance in the direction of Big Black, and the daily expectation of an advance of this force against my lines, coupled with telegraphic order of Major-General Forrest to return till further orders all cavalry in this district, have prevented my sending to their proper brigades to Fourth and Sixth Mississippi Regiments, which are assigned to Starke's brigade. My whole force here at present consists of Mabry's former brigade, a remnant of Ross brigade, and Wood's regiment, making altogether an effective total of 1,000 men. McGuirk's regiment is now returning from North Mississippi, and upon its arrival I shall send either the Fourth or Sixth Mississippi at once to its proper command, and the remaining regiment at the earliest moment it can be spared. I observe that Withers', Ashby's,and Butler's unattached companies are assigned to my brigade, but, as they belong to the Reserve Forces, I presume I will not be permitted to retain them. In their stead