fornia Volunteers, when the two, under the command of Captain French, will proceed to Fort McRae. Here Captain French's company will receive the horses, horse equipments, and revolvers now in the possession of Captain Ayres' company, First Infantry New Mexico Volunteers, and Captain French will relieve Major Willis, First Infantry New Mexico Volunteers, in the command of Fort McRae. Major Willis, with Ayres' and Stombs' companies, will then march without delay to Fort Craig. Here Captain Stombs' company will take post. company H, First Cavalry California Volunteers, and Company E, First Infantry New Mexico Volunteers, will there join Major Willis' command and proceed with it to Fort Union, N. Mex. Captain Burkett's company, First Veteran Infantry, will proceed to Fort Cummings, N. Mexico., where it will relieve Captain Cooke's company [First] New Mexico Volunteers. Major Shaw, First Cavalry New Mexico Volunteers, will with this latter company march to Los Pinos, N. Mex. He himself will then proceed to Fort Wingate and relieve Major Eaton in the command of that post. Major Eaton on being relieved will proceed to Los Pinos, and then march with Cooke's company to Fort Union. French and Burkett will each leave one of his officers at Las Cruces on recruiting service. The officers of the First Veteran Infantry California Volunteers and the First Cavalry New Mexico Volunteers will use every endeavor to fill up the ranks of those regiments as rapidly as possible, as many of the companies will be required for active service upon the plains. The chief quartermaster will give directions with reference to the necessary transportation for these movements.

* * * *

By command of Brigadier-General Carleton:

ERASTUS W. WOOD,

Aide-de-Camp.

U. S. S. CHOCTAW, Bayou Sara, January 20, 1865.

Major-General CANBY,

Commanding Military Division of West Mississippi:

SIR: In your communication of the 17th instant you state that there are a number of plantations along the River cultivated by "freed labor" under the orders of the commander of the Department of the Gulf. That there are "plantations worked by freed labor" I know, but that they are under the orders of or in any way controlled by the commander of the department is new to me. They cannot be visited without an armed force, and I am sure that any supplies landed for such plantations are immediately sold, or the greater part of them, to the highest bidder. If there are deserving people outside the lines of military occupation, which I doubt, it would be much better that supplies should to through the military posts, for if landings can be made at any point there is no telling what will be landed; force instance, the goods lately seized at Brule Landing. There are not gun-boats enough to cover the landings, there being but four to patrol a distance of 130 miles. Article 38 of the Treasury Regulations, of July 29, 1864, seems to refer to plantations within our lines. Those in this district cannot be considered as such, although, as you say, they have heretofore been permitted to ship their products and receive their supplies. It was upon my understanding of the new trade regulations, and a conversation I had with you about a month ago on this subject, that I gave orders to prevent the landing of plantation supplies and the shipping