habit of sending out foraging and beef parties without sending notifications to district headquarters. Had I supposed that other parties were out in that direction I would have communicated with you upon the subject before sending out the party, and regret that I did not do so.

POWELL CLAYTON,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.

HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF LITTLE ROCK,
Little Rock, Ark., October 14, 1864.

COMMANDING OFFICER THIRD ARKANSAS CAVALRY:

SIR: Pursuant to orders received from department headquarters, you will proceed to Lewisburg, Ark., with as little delay as possible. The Second Arkansas Infantry is also ordered to the same place. The senior officer will assume command.

By order of Brigadier General E. A. Carr:

C. H. DYER,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

(Same to commanding officer Second Arkansas Infantry.)

HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF VICKSBURG,
Vicksburg, Miss., October 14, 1864.

Lieutenant Colonel C. T. CHRISTENSEN,

Assistant Adjutant-General, Mil. Div. of West Mississippi:

Your two cipher dispatches of the 11th instant were handed me together yesterday afternoon at 4 o'clock. In accordance with your orders therein contained, I immediately ordered the following regiments to report without delay to the officer commanding the forces at the mouth of White River, to wit: Twenty-eighth Illinois Infantry, Twenty-ninth Illinois Infantry, One hundred at twenty-fourth Illinois Infantry, Forty-seventh U. S. Infantry (colored), Sixty-sixth U. S. Infantry (colored). The two first named were at Natchez, and I sent a steam-boat for them in the night. The One hundred and twenty-fourth left here for White River direct at midnight and at the same hour the Forty-seventh U. S. Infantry (colored) left here on a separate transport to take on from Goodrich's Landing the Sixty-sixth U. S. Infantry (colored), which is stationed there, and then proceed on to White River. These troops numbered about 2,100 effective. I have just now heard that the Twenty-eight Illinois had left Natchez for Morganza, and have, therefore, ordered the Fifty-third U. S. Infantry (colored) to proceed by first boat to White River. The force, then, ordered from my command to White River is 2,400. I think it my duty to report that I do not consider it safe to trust this post with the small infantry force now left here. I have just received orders from Major-General Howard, commanding Department and Army of the Tennessee, to direct the Seventy-second Illinois, Colonel F. A. Starring, to report at his headquarters for orders. Major General Frank Gardner has superseded Wirt Adams, and now commands at Jackson.

I have the honor, &c.,

N. J. T. DANA,

Major-General.