Major-General Barlow has been so assigned by the lieutenant-general commanding, pending the action of the President of the United States.

GEO. G. MEADE,

Major-General.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC,
April 18, 1864-9 p. m.

Lieutenant General U. S. GRANT,

Brigadier-General Devens is a good officers; formerly belonged to the Sixth Corps, in which is Prince's brigade. He will do very well.

GEO. G. MEADE,

Major-General.

GENERAL ORDERS,
HDQRS. ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, Numbers 19.
April 18, 1864.

I. The following order has been received from the War Department, and is published for general information:

GENERAL ORDERS,
WAR DEPARTMENT, ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE, Numbers 125.
Washington, March 29, 1864.

Furloughs, not to exceed thirty days in each case, to the non-commissioned officers and privates of the Army who may desire to enter the free military school at Philadelphia, may be granted by the commanders of armies and departments, when the character, conduct, and capacity of the applicants are such as to warrant their immediate and superior commanders in recommending them for commissioned appointments in the regiments of colored troops.

By order of the Secretary of War:

E. T. TOWNSSEND,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

II. To carry into effect the requirements of the foregoing order, corps and other independent commanders will appoint a board, consisting of three officers, whose duty it shall be to examine the applicants for admission into the free military school at Philadelphia, and the boards so appointed will report in each case whether, in their opinion, the character, conduct, and capacity of the applicant are such as to induce the belief that after a stay of thirty days at the military school he will be qualified for a commissioned appointment in a colored regiment.

III. The reports of the boards will be forwarded through the usual channel fo correspondence to these headquarters.

By command of Major-General Meade:

S. WILLIAMS,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

ARTILLERY HEADQUARTERS, ARMY OF THE POTOMAC,

April 8, 1864.

Brigadier General S. WILLIAMS,

Assistant Adjutant-General, Army of the Potomac:

GENERAL: It has been reported to me that large numbers of men are applying for transfer to the naval service from the batteries of this army. In some cases the applications are so numerous from certain batteries as to threaten seriously to impair their efficiency.