Boston, and those points, which are starting points. There are not good wagon roads whatever at any season of the year. There are roads which wagons do travel, but the country is so very much up, so rocky precipitous, as to render military operations there out of the question.

By General BUELL:

Question. Is personal observation usually considered essential for a knowledge of geography and are your sources of information those which are usually employed and considered satisfactory in the direction of military operations?

I have never heard or supposed that it was possible or necessary for a general commanding an army to make a personal observation of all the country his army might be called to pass over. The means employed are those I have mentioned, those that are laid down in military works, as obtained from maps, from residents, staff officers that may be sent upon such duties, spies&c. Such information by military men is considered - in fact it is the only information is the best that can be obtained. I can imagine that upon a battle-field, or in selecting one, either for offense or defense, it is important for a general to see as much of the ground on which he has to place his troops as possible; but even then a commander has to rely upon the same sources of information I have referred to, and it is upon information obtained in this way that a general bases all his plans of march, campaign,and battle.

Question. Mention, if you please, all the general officers that belonged to the force that occupied Kentucky under Kirby Smith, as far as you have been enabled to learn?

I obtained a list from Dr. Irwin, medical director to General Nelson, who was taken prisoner at Richmond, and remained with our wounded some three weeks at Richmond and Lexington, but I have either lost or misplaced it. Those I can call to mind are Major-General Heth; McCown, brigadier; Cleburne, brigadier; Reynolds, brigadier; Gracie, brigadier; O'Bannon, brigadier; Stevenson, I understand, is a major-general. I do not know that this list is complete. I think there were some four of five more, but these were those he met.

Question. Does it at all determine the maximum strength judging by the organization of our own forces? Are not brigades frequently commanded by colonels?

It would not be safe to base the maximum strength upon a calculation of that kind. In our own army, that I have served with, I suppose quite one-half of the brigades are commanded by colonels.

Question. I wish you, if you please, general, to make some calculation, upon certain established data, and place the result in evidence before the Commission. Suppose an army of 40,000 men, organized into seven divisions, each division with three brigades,and three batteries, averaging about five pieces to the battery, and each brigade containing four regiments of infantry - taking not account of cavalry at all - supposing each division to have a wagon train of 100 wagons, what length of road would it occupy in column, not on the march but in position to take up a march, and the intervals all closed - the smallest space that it can possibly occupy? Please answer the question in detail, general, giving the spaces occupied by a given number of men and the space occupied by the various kind of carriages and the space taken up by the prescribed intervals.

Commission adjourned to meet February 18.