back they retire upon the position held by your army, not allowing the enemy to get between them and the main body. In case any portion of the troops have reached Richmond, and those outside are attacked by a force of the enemy, which they are unable to resist, they will retire toward Richmond and not from it, being intended, if the town is once reached, to hold it at all risks and at all hazards, and all commanders old divisions and others in advance are especially cautioned not to recognize or regard flags of truce, if any are sent, but, immediately receiving the bearer, to press on. It will be time enough to deal with flags of truce after the object of the expedition is accomplished.

DETAIL OF THE MARCH AND OF THE EQUIPMENT OF THE TROOPS.

As so much depends upon the celerity of the movement, the distance over which we are to move is so short, the troops will leave everything except a single blanket rolled over their shoulders and haversack with three day's cooked rations and sixty rounds of cartridges in their cartridge-boxes and on their person. All tents, camping equipage, and cooking utensils are to be left behind. No wagon will be allowed to cross the river without orders from these headquarters. The wagon trains, however,will be supplied with six day's rations and half-forage for the same time and forty rounds of extra ammunition per man, ready to start as soon ordered. As this movement will necessarily be a failure if it degenerates into an artillery duel,there is no necessity for any artillery to cross until after the attempt to carry the first line of works, and then only such batteries as have been designated in the conversation between the commanding general and his corps commanders. The two batteries of horse artillery reporting to General Kautz will cross and travel with him. Ambulances will be parked near the southern head of each pontoon bridge ready to be used when occasion requires. Hospital boats will be at Deep Bottom for the purpose of receiving any wounded. General Kautz will take with him three days' cooked rations per man and what forage he can conveniently carry. Assuming that he is better mounted than the enemy's cavalry, and fresh, he will have no difficulty in case it should be necessary to cut loose from the infantry column and circle the city as far as may be necessary, remembering always that celerity of movement in cavalry, in a far greater degree than infantry, is the principal means of success. The commanding general cannot refrain in clothing these instructions from pressing one or two points upon the attention of the corps commanders: First, the necessity of being ready to move and moving at the moment designated; second, the fact that the commanding general is under no substantial mistake in regard to the force to be at first encountered, and therefore there is no necessity of time spent in reconnoitering or taking special care of the flanks of the moving columns. The commanding general would also recommend to the corps commanders, as soon as it may be done with safety from discovering the movement, to impress upon each of the division commanders, with directions for them to transmit the information through their subordinates even to the privates, of the number and king of troops we are required to meet, so there may be no panic from supposed flanking movements of the enemy or attack in the rear, always a source of demoralization when the troops do not understand the force of the enemy. Let us assure and instruct our men that we are able to fight anything we find either in front or rear, wherever they may happen to be.