CULPEPER COURT-HOUSE, VA., April 16, 1864.

Major-General AUGUR,

Washington, D. C.:

Please have the Pennsylvania Reserves at Alexandria relieved and ordered to the front.

By command of Lieutenant-General Grant:

JNO. A. RAWLINS,

Chief of Staff.

HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY,
Washington, April 16, 1864.

Major-General AUGUR,

Commanding, &c.:

GENERAL: Please report as early as practicable what troops can be spared from the defenses of Washington and armed as infantry for the field.

Yours truly,

H. W. HALLECK,

Major-General and Chief of Staff.

OFFICE CHIEF Q. M., DEPT. OF WEST VIRGINIA,

Cumberland, Md., April 16, 1864.

Captain THAYER MELVIN,

Asst. Adjt. General, Dept. of W. Va., Cumberland, Md.:

CAPTAIN: I had the honor to address you a communication on the 13th instant, in relation to the trains of forage en route to Beverly that were ordered to return to Webster, with their extra loads, by order of General Sullivan. The more complete information is herewith transmitted. Orders issued from this office on the 2nd instant to Captain G. A. Flagg, assistant quartermaster at Webster, to send forward to Beverly a certain quantity of short forage were being duly executed, that all trains, as per instructions, might return to Webster prior to the 15th instant. The last trains sent out were as follows:

Wagon-masters Wagons Pounds

J. J. Warder, citizen 19 23,205

J. E. Sinclair, Government 25 38,888

Stephen Burdette, Government 20 26,167

J. V. Skidomore, Government 27 29,035

James Crogan, Government 25 38,013

Total 116 155,308

Being six days' rations for 2,000 horses.

Captain flagg reports that "messengers were dispatched to have all these wagons returned to Webster by the verbal order of General J. C. Sullivan. Skidomore was within 8 miles of Beverly, Burdette within 23 miles. Warder 12 miles from Webster, Sinclair 12 miles, and Crogan 13 miles. All of which trains came back, excepting 1 mule dead had 7 mules left, with five wagons, on the road. " No trains