on you. The official mail, which has to reach corps headquarters at 1 o'clock daily, will be ready for your action at 12. Please inform me if I will take it to your quarters or you will visit these.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

GEO. CLENDENIN, JR.,

Captain and Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS NINTH ARMY CORPS,
December 23, 1864. (Received 11.30 a.m.)

General S. WILLIAMS, Assistant Adjutant-General:

Nothing new along our lines. Several deserters came in during the night, but have not yet been reported to these headquarters. I am informed that they report the constructing a new battery for fourteen mortars in front of their large gun. I would respectfully call the attention of the engineer department to the insecure condition of the magazines on portion of our line and would request that some engineer troops be detailed to make these repairs, as well as other repairs along the line. The engineers did not complete this work prior to the late movement. I would not now make this request had I the officers and men to spare for the work. Four deserters from the Forty-sixth Virginia and one from Thirty-fourth Virginia have just reported.

JNumbers G. PARKE,

Major-General.

GENERAL ORDERS, HEADQUARTERS NINTH ARMY CORPS,

No. 49. December 23, 1864.

I. All officers and enlisted men in this command will be required to wear the corps badge upon the cap or hat. For the divisions the badges will be plain, made of cloth, in the shape of a shield, red for the first, white for the second, and blue for the third. For the Artillery Brigade the shield will be red and will be worn under the regulation cross cannon.

II. The quartermaster's department will furnish the necessary materials for these badges as soon as practicable.

III. Division commanders and the commanding officer Artillery Brigade will see that this order is carried into effect as far as concerns their respective commands.

By command of Major General John G. Parke:

P. M. LYDIG,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

HDQRS. DEPT. OF VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA,
ARMY OF THE JAMES,

In the Field, December 23, 1864-8.30 p.m.

Lieutenant General U. S. GRANT, City Point:

A file Richmond papers were sent through quartermaster at Bermuda to you to-day at 1 o'clock. They contain nothing of interest except telegraph from Wilmington, December 22, viz:

The Federal fleets have drawn off from the shore. Only the masts of the Colorado and the Wabash are visible. It is uncertain whether they have sought ports or gone south. High winds and very rough sea.

LEVENTHORPE,

General.