They will also level the cane in their fronts for a breadth of 150 yards, leaving, however, a breadth of 50 yards immediately in front undisturbed. Commanders will sent an officer or orderly with the bared of this to identify the location of corps headquarters.

By command of Major General, John A. McClernand:

SAMUEL CALDWELL,

Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.

(To division commanders.)

SPECIAL ORDERS,
HDQRS. THIRTEENTH ARMY CORPS, Numbers 91 Alexandria, La., April 28, 1864.

I. The commanding officers of the Third and Fourth Divisions are directed to unite temporarily, for tactical purposes, two or more regiments of their respective commands now in the fields, so as to form battalions of not less than 300 nor more than 500 men. The union will be completed and the composition of the battalion reported to these headquarters not than the evening of the 29th instant.

II. Commanding officers of the Third Division, of the Fourth Division, and of the Second Brigade, First Division, will have their troops instructed in the school of the battalion on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, an in the evolutions of brigade on Wednesday and Saturday or each week while they remain at this station. The instruction will be commenced on Monday, the 2nd proximo. Two hours in the field for battalion and four for brigade instruction is fixed as the proper limit in regard to time. Officers should be called together to receive special instruction during another hour each day. Particular attention is requested to be given to the subject of grand-guard and outpost duty in special instructions of officers.

* * * * *

By command of Major General John A. McClernand:

SAMUEL CALDWELL,
Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF,

April 28, 1864.

Brigadier General A. J. SMITH,

Comdg, Detach. Sixteenth and Seventeenth Army Corps:

I inclose for your information a copy of a letter received from Major-General McClernand this evening.* The major-general commanding regards that without orders from these headquarters you saw fir to move your troops off the line you were directed to occupy, and it was without authority from these headquarters that you occupied any of the camps of Major-General McClernand, who had been directed to leave them in order before the line of battle which had been selected to defend Alexandria. He was further directed to leave everything he could not bring away at the moment until he formed his line of battle, when he was to send for and bring them to his new camp. While he was in the act of executing this order

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* See p. 318.

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