HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF LITTLE ROCK,
Little Rock, Ark., May 16, 1864.

Brigadier General F. SALOMON,

Commanding First Division, Seventh Army Corps:

GENERAL: You will commence to-morrow to fell the timber in front of the line connecting Fort Steele and the Rapley house. It should be felled at least 1 1/2 miles from the line. The general thinks it would be advisable to connect Fort Steele and the Rapley house by a line of rifle-pits running just behind the crest of the ridge, or to construct a battery about half way between them, but will not order it for the present.

By order of Brigadier General E. A. Carr:

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

C. H. DYER,

Captain and Assistant Adjutant-General.

HDQRS. FIRST DIVISION, SEVENTH ARMY CORPS,
Little Rock, Ark., May 16, 1864.

Captain C. H. DYER,

Assistant Adjutant-General, &c.:

I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of even date herewith, requiring me to furnish a detail of 80 men to relieve a similar detail from the Second Division, now on guard duty at a Government tan-yard, some 8 miles from this post. Inasmuch as it is left to my judgement whether to keep this guard, I beg leave respectfully to state that, in my opinion, there can be no amount of property at this tan-yard of sufficient value to compensate for the loss of 80 men; but whether is danger of losing troops stationed at that point, the brigadier-general commanding the district is better informed than I can be. Ordinarily small bodies of troops stationed outside our lines ar liable to be captured, and I shall therefore be obliged, inthe exercise of a sound discretion based upon the best information I can obtain, to withdraw the detail from my division as soon as it has relieved the guard already stationed there, unless ordered to the contrary.

I have the honor to be, captain, your most obedient servant,

F. SALOMON,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.

SPECIAL ORDERS, HDQRS. DISTRICT OF LITTLE ROCK, Numbers 4. Little Rock, May 16, 1864.

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III. Brigadier General J. R. West, commanding Second Division, Seventh Army Corps, will station a detachment on the north side of the river for the purpose of guarding the railroad depot, shops, and store-houses, and furnishing train guards. It will be composed at first of two regiments of infantry and two squadrons of cavalry, and will report to and be entirely the control of the division commander, who will see that the troops are brought into and kept in proper drill and discipline. General West will cause this detachment to furnish fatigue parties as far as its strength will admit. He will cause earth-works to be made as far as practicable, considering