heavy rains, and a place below this city has been selected. Will you therefore please to instruct commanding officers instead of disembarking at Kennerville to proceed direct to this city and to report in person at these headquarters, taking care in all cases to keep their men on board until they reach their permanent place of encampment. This does not apply to the troops coming from Arkansas and Memphis, which are to disembark at the warehouse wharf below the railroad wharf at Algiers, as heretofore ordered.

By order of Major General E. R. S. Canby:

C. T. CHRISTENSEN,

Lieutenant-Colonel and Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS U. S. FORCES,
Morganza, La., February 16, 1865.

Captain J. C. STONE,

Asst. Adjt. General, Hdqrs. Dept. of the Gulf, New Orleans:

CAPTAIN: I have the honor to state that the enemy has exhibited unusual activity during the last two weeks. He has developed an extensive and effective system of conscription throughout the parish. Their men suddenly appeared scattered in squads over a large surface, searching for conscripts, mules, and horses. I have succeeded in taking prisoners 2 officers and 5 men. Captain Carmouche has raised and organized a company of eighty men. My informant had a long interview within him a few evenings since, and was permitted by him to read a letter of instructions recently received by him from Brigadier-General Brent, who it seems has lately crossed the Mississippi and assumed a command in Avoyelles Parish. He directs Carmouche to stop all persons in this parish fro planting who are "cultivating on the YANKEE principle, all who are disaffected toward the Confederates and have Union proclivities, and to take away all their mules. " Carmouche state that he is ordered to seize all the mules in the parish, to turn the best over to certain batteries, and to use the others for transportation. of course the inhabitants are greatly alarmed and appeal to me for protection. As all my cavalry is ordered away I shall be able to give this to a very limited degree. On the night of the 11th a party with blackened faces and otherwise disguised broke into the house of Joseph Metebrohn, a brother of the priest of the Catholic church, ten miles below the lines, and charging him with having given information (which is false) by which we captured the above mentioned prisoners, inflicted between 200 and 300 lashes upon him, leaving nearly dead. I have proof that there is again occasional crossing the river this side of Bayou Sara. Above, near tunica Bend, there is frequent crossing. Captain Collins passed over two or three nights ago. I have previously reported the crossing, on the night of the 11th, of a body of soldiers furloughed from Hood's army. One of my informants fell in on the 11th, near the junction of the Red River and Atchafalaya, with two Confederate officers just from Alexandria. They said they were "only waiting for the water to fall in the swamps to make a sudden dash on Morganza from all directions. " The Atchafalaya and the several roads have been picketed lately with more regularity than formerly, and a movable force has its headquarters at Simsport.

I have the honor to be, your obedient servant,

DANIEL ULLMANN,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.