of the detachment of the Eighteenth Army Corps in your department with the Tenth Corps, which protest and accompanying papers has been submitted to the Secretary of War.

There seems to be a misunderstanding in this matter on both sides.

General Foster and his command, while serving in your department, was to be subject to your general orders and direction; but that command was to form no part of the Tenth Army Corps. It was organized as to Eighteenth Army Corps by the President, and no subordinate authority could change its organization. You will therefore rescind so much of your orders as consolidates it with

the Tenth Corps. But while this command remains as a distinct organization, with its own officers, as assigned by its proper chief, the command itself, so long as it remains in your department, will be subject to your orders. The transportation which belongs to the Eighteenth Army Corps will so continue. It will of course be used for any temporary purposes you may direct, but will afterward be restored to the North Carolina forces, to which it property belongs. In fine, general, those forces are merely assigned for temporary duty under your orders, and their organization, both in men and material, will be retained, so that the corps can at any time be returned entire (except casualties) to its proper department. General Foster will, as you requested, immediately return to South Carolina to take the direct charge of the expedition (under your direction), and will remain so long as he may deem it safe to be absent from his own department.

This letter ha been submitted to the Secretary of War and to the President, and is approved by them.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

H. W. HALLECK,

General-in-Chief.

(Copy to General Foster.)

WASHINGTON, February 16, 1861.

Major General D. HUNTER,

Commanding Department of the South:

GENERAL: Your letters of the 11th instant with inclosure are just received. I received yesterday a copy of your order merging the detachment of the Eighteenth Corps with the Tenth, and also a copy of General Naglee's protest. These papers were immediately submitted to the Secretary of War and the President, and I wrote to you, as directed by them.

Your letters of the 11th are also submitted, and no reason is seem for changing the instructions then given. Nor is anything perceived in General Foster's orders that conflict with those instructions or with the verbal understanding with you in the office of the Secretary of War before you left for your present command. If General Foster or any part of the Eighteenth Army Corps while in your department shall attempt to act independently of your authority or in violation of proper orders from you they will be liable to censure are punishment. But it is not understood that General Foster makes any such claim,; on the contrary, on being furnished with a copy of my letter to your of yesterday, he expressed himself entirely satisfied, as he considered himself and his corps while in your department subject to your orders.

26 R R-VOL XIV