Officers and men both may have plenty of personal bravery, and on that account, perhaps, and not being under very strict restraint, they, despising the Indian and becoming careless, they wander off alone, or in small parties hunting or on duties connected with their post, getting wood, hay, or herding animals, sometimes even unarmed and are not aware there is any danger, or any hostile Indians near till they suddenly find their animals driven away before their face, or, may be, some of their party killed, and by the time the garrison can be informed of it, and get ready, the Indians are off and out of reach. It requires the constant care and attention on the part of a commanding officer to prevent this, and I would therefore propose, at all these exposed posts, some officer be selected without regard to the regiment the garrison may be composed of as the permanent commander of that post.

With much respect, your obedient servant,

ALF. SULLY,

Brigadier-General.

GENERAL ORDERS,
HDQRS. MIL. DIV. OF WEST MISSISSIPPI, Numbers 57.
New Orleans, La., October 8, 1864.

Captain H. R. Putnam, Twelfth U. S. Infantry, having reported at these headquarters in obedience to Special Orders, Numbers 273, paragraph 4, dated War Department, Adjutant-General's Office, Washington, August 17, 1864, is hereby assigned to duty as acting aide-de-camp to the major-general commanding, and will be obeyed and respected accordingly.

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

C. T. CHRISTENSEN,

Lieutenant-Colonel and Assistant Adjutant.

SPECIAL ORDERS,
HDQRS. DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF, Numbers 272.
New Orleans, October 8, 1864.

1. The Seventy-seventh Illinois Volunteers, having arrived in this city, in obedience to Special Orders, Numbers 209, Nineteenth Army Corps, will be reported to the commanding officer Defenses of New Orleans, to relieve the Forty-eighth Ohio of its present duties.

* * * * * *

By command of Major-General Hulbut:

C. S. SARGENT,
First Lieutenant and Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.

BRASHEAR CITY, LA., October 8, 1864.

Captain FREDERIC SPEED,

Assistant Adjutant-General, Defenses of New Orleans:

In obedience to your orders I would state that while on my return from an expedition through Belle River and Bayou Go to Hell [Gotvelle], I landed at the Gross plantation for the purpose of killing beef for my command. I took two companies, in all, about forty-five men, and went to the dwelling, a distance of about a quarter of a mile from the river. I halted my command at the house and went in to make some inquiries. The proprietor stated that he was a good loyal citizen, showing me the oath of allegiance that he had taken; also a safeguard stating that no officer of soldier should molest anything belonging to him. On looking over the place I found about thirty pounds of mess pork, several kegs of nails and spikes, and several boxes of dried fish, none of which I