GENERAL ORDERS,
HDQRS. TRANS- MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT, Numbers 55.
Shreveport, July 20, 1864.

I. In accordance with an act of Congress, entitled "An act to increase the efficiency of th Army by the employment of free negroes and slaves in certain capacities, approved February 17, 1864," all male free negroes and other persons of color, not including those who are free under the treaty of Paris of 1803, or under th treaty of Spain of 1819, resident in the Confederate States, between the ages of eighteen and fifty years, will be immediately enrolled under the direction of the Bureau of Conscription.

II. The Bureau of Conscription will take the necessary steps through the enrolling officers to enroll immediately on- fifth of all the male slaves in this department between the ages of eighteen and forty- five years.

III. All free negroes and slaves so enrolled will be sent to rendezvous designated by the commandants of negro labor for the several States, accompanied by descriptive rolls.

IV. Requisitions for negro labor must be made upon the commandants of negro labor ofthe several States.

V. All officers and agent of the Government in charge of slaves will furnish monthly, to the commandants of negro labor of the several States to which the slaves belong, correct and certified muster- rolls o those in their charge.

By command of General E. Kirby Smith:

S. S. ANDERSON,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

Abstract from tri- monthly return of the troops in Western Sub- District, Brigadier General Thomas F. Drayton commanding, for July 20, 1864.a.

Present for duty.

Command. Officers Men. Aggregate Aggregat

present. e

present

and

absent.

Division 5 ... 5 6

headquarters

Brigade 5 ... 5 6

headquarters

McCord's regiment 17 235 348 485

Bradford's regiment 28 388 482 672

Nichols and Jones 4 110 133 170

light batteries

Total 59 733 973 1,338

a Colonels Ford's and Pyron's returns (First and Third Sub- Districts) not received.

COLONEL MHOON'S, IN MISSISSIPPI,

Wednesday, July 20, 1864.

[General STERLING PRICE:]

MY DEAR GENERAL: I was detained in Richmond three weeks by business first and subsequently by the destruction ofthe railways. I got here yesterday and shall dispatch Hardesty to you to- morrow afternoon. I left General Clark in Mobile. He is well. He sends a batch of letters by Hardesty, the contents of which will be made known to you, I presume, by those to whom they are addressed. Vest has gone