[JULY 8, 1864.-For S. D. Lee to Bragg, in relation to co-operation from Trans-Mississippi, see Vol. XXXIX, Part II, p. 694; for S. D. Lee to Walker, in relation to shipments of arms from West Louisiana, see Vol. XXXIX, Part II, p. 694.

SPECIAL ORDERS, HEADQUARTERS CHURCHILL'S DIVISION, Numbers 54.
Camp yell, July 8, 1864.

I. Brigadier-General Tappan having obtained leave of absence for a few days, Colonel L. C. Gause is hereby ordered to assume command of this division.

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By command of Brigadier-General Tappan:

B. S. JOHNSON,
Major and Assistant Adjutant-General.

OFFICE INSP. General, DIST. OF INDIAN TERRITORY,

Fort Towson, C. N., July 8, 1864.

Major General S. B. MAXEY,

Commanding Dist of Indian Territory, Fort Towson, C. N.:

GENERAL: In compliance with your request, I have made the matter of supplies for this district during the present year, in view of an active campaign this summer and fall, a subject of serious investigation whilst on my recent tour of inspection. In order to realize the full importance of this subject a glance at the position of our army is necessary. Limestone Prairie is situated between two ranges of rocky mountains, known respectively as Limestone Mountains on the north and Gaines' Creek Mountains on the southern side. These mountains constitute the barrier dividing Red River and its tributaries from the waters of the Arkansas River. Leading tot his prairie and across the northern range of mountains are two main thoroughfares-one from Fort Smith, through Scullyville, passing the mountains at Limestone Gap and the Narrows into Limestone Prairie, and from thence via Mountain Station to Boggy Depot, over the road known as the "Overland route;" the other from Fort Gibson, via Perryville, crossing the mountains near the latter place, and from thence to Boggy Depot, known as the Fort Gibson road. From Boggy Depot are main roads leading to Fort Washita, C. N., Preston, Warren, and Bonham, Tex. At Johnson's Station, thirty miles in rear of Limestone Prairie, a road comes in from Perryville to the Overland route, and another road crossing the southern range of mountains leads to Doaksville, and from thence to Clarksville and Paris, Tex. Another road from Fort Smith line, diverges near Ultima Thule, one road leading to Fulton, Ark., the other to Doaksville, C. N. The approaches to Northern Texas are therefore best secured by keeping the army in Limestone Prairie, where it now is. Besides these advantages, great and important as they must be, we are in striking distance of the enemy's communications via Arkansas River must soon be closed for navigation by the fall of the waters, and the cavalry in Arkansas can effectually prevent supplies from being sent to Fort