week. This information comes from one of McClellan's aides and from Fox, of the Navy Department. As I remarked yesterday be prepared for them on every hand and at every moment. Mason and Sildell have been given up and the Hall elique are furious. Look out for a smash-up. I send you the papers containing Seward's letter, & c.

Now, my dear general, look out for a large army, and tell your men (God bless them) to cut and slay until the last man is destroyed. Do not allow one to come black to tell the sad tale. No living man ever made such a desperate effort as McClellan will make. Nevertheless I believe he is a coward and is afraid to meet you. If some excause is not hatched up you may certainly expcted and attack next week. My God! general, give them the most awful whipping that any army ever received. McClellan's army will certainly number 180,000 men-perhaps more. Let our next greeting be in Washington. You shall have a warm reception. I write in some haste.

From Mrs. Greenhow.

DECEMBER 26.

In day or to 1,200 cavalry supported by four batteries of artillery will cross the river above to get behind Manassas and cut off railroad and other communications with our army whilst an attack is made in front. For God's sake heed this. It is positive. They are obliged to move or give up. They find me a hard bargain and I shall be I think released in a few days without condition, but to go South. A confidential member of McClellan's staff came to see me and tell me that my case should from an exception and I only want to gain time. All my plans are nearly completed.

HDQRS. CITY GUARD, PROVOST-MARSHAL'S OFFICE,
Washington, November -, 1861.

Brigadier General ANDREW PORTER, Provost-Marshal.

GENERAL: I have the honor to report that I have received at this office a communication from the State Department dated October 28, 1861, signed by F. W. Seward, Assistant Secretary of State, and addressed to yourself in the following words, to wit*.

In compliance with the above request and by your direction I have made a through examination of the case of William J. Walker and beg leave to submit for your consideration the following as my report thereon:

That the said Walker was arrested on the might of the 23rd of August last under the following circumstances:

That on the morning of the same day by order of-I arrested Mrs. Rose O'Neal Greenhow at her own house, 398 Sixteenth street, Washington; that I stationed a guard which had been detailed for that purpose by myself inside the house in order to insure the safekeeping of Mrs. Greenhow and to aid in the arrest of any persons who might call there for the purpose of seeing the prisoner while being ignorant of her arrest or even a suspicion. No guard was placed outside the house for the reason that it was believed many persons who were communicating with Mrs. Greenhow might continue to call, and thus reveal their identity and lead to their detection; that during the day on which Mrs. Greenhow was arrested I employed several of my operatives in searching her house and in examining her correspondence, a very large amount of which-much of it hightly treasonable in character-was found in different parts of her house, and no small part of which was torn up recently ast it appeared, some of the latter being thorwn into the stove but not burned as there was no fire; that I continued several of my operatives at the said house during the night of said 23rd of August with orders to detain any and all persons who should call and report their detention at once

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* Omitted here; see Seward to Porter, p 564.

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