HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF,
New Orleans, February 2, 1864.

Colonel T. H. BARRETT,

Near Saint James Parish, via Bonnet Carre:

COLONEL: A steamer with rations will be sent immediately to take your regiment on board. You will proceed without delay to Port Hudson and report your regiment to Brigadier General G. L. Andrews for duty.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

CHAS. P. STONE,

Brigadier-General and Chief of Staff.

HEADQUARTERS THIRTEENTH ARMY CORPS,
New Orleans, La., February 2, 1864.

General C. P. STONE,

Chief of Staff, Department of the Gulf:

SIR: I leave per first reported boat to carry out instructions of the general commanding of 26th ultimo in regard to commands in Texas. During my absence Captain A. B. Sharpe is acting adjutant-general of the corps, and anything intended for division or other commanders of it sent to him will be forwarded. Will you please give the staff officers at headquarters department instructions, in accordance with paragraph 451, about communications passing their intermediate commanders, to send their communications, order, & c., when they want them executed (and they are issued by department commander), through my headquarters, for I have issued orders to my staff officers, in accordance to this and General Banks' instructions to you, that all communications except those signed by you, while my headquarters are here, should pass through them.

This will prevent confusion and keep my headquarters aware of what was going on or off in the corps; otherwise I cannot keep the run of things. All the troops, convalescents, batteries, & c., of the corps here, during my absence, I have placed under the especial orders of the commander of the defenses, General J. J. Reynolds. Should matters requiring prompt action, and generally referred to me as corps commander, come up during my absence, will you please act on them? Captain Sharpe has directions to submit such to you at once.

Yours respectfully,

E. O. C. ORD,

Major-General of Vols., Commanding Thirteenth Army Corps.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF,
New Orleans, La., February 2, 1864.

Major General F. J. HERRON,

Commanding U. S. Forces on the Rio Grande, Brownsville, Tex.:

GENERAL: Your letter of January - (supposed to be 27th), concerning the line of communication from the coast to Brownsville, is received and has been submitted to the major-general commanding, who directs me to reply that he approves the new line proposed by