Numbers 41. HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF VIRGINIA, Warrenton, August 24, 1862.

Major-General SIGEL:

GENERAL: To-night, or at an early hour in the morning, you will please send spies and scouts around by Front Royal to Thornton's Gap and into the valley of the Shenandoah, to ascertain whether any of the enemy's forces are moving in that direction. Send at least two or three reliable men for that purpose, and instruct them that if they find any difficulty in returning to you they shall go into Winchester and communicate their information to General White. You will receives instructions as to your movements sin the morning.

By order of General Pope:

T. C. H. SMITH,

Lieutenant-Colonel and Aide-de-Camp.

Numbers 42. HEADQUARTERS FIRST CORPS, ARMY OF VIRGINIA, Near Waterloo Bridge, Va., August 24, 1862.

Colonel GEORGE D. RUGGLES,

Chief of Staff, Army of Virginia:

The First Corps is in bivouac at Waterloo Bridge, with the exception of an infantry brigade left at Sulphur Springs as rear guard, together with a brigade of General ReNumbers General Banks' corps is on the Sulphur Springs road about 4 miles from the Springs, and General Reno is sat or near the fork of the Warrenton road.

To judge from the appearance of the camp-fires and camps I am certain that he enemy's main army is encamped on the other side of the river, perhaps 2 miles from the river, with the advance at Amissville and the rear opposite Sulphur Springs.

F. SIGEL,

Major-General, Commanding First Corps.

Numbers 43. HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF VIRGINIA, August 25, 1862.

Major-General HALLECK:

Your dispatch just received. Of course I shall be ready to recross the Rappahannock at a moment's notice. You will see from the positions taken that each army corps is ont he best roads across the river. You wished forty-eight hours to assemble the forces from the Peninsula behind the Rappahannock, and four days have passed without the enemy yet being permitted to cross. I don't think he is yet ready to do so. In ordinarily dry weather the Rappahannock can be crossed almost anywhere, and these crossing places are best protected by concentrating at central positions to strike at any force which attempts to cross. I had clearly understood that you wished to unite our whole forces before a forward movement was begun, and that I must take care to keep united with Burnside on my left, so that no movement to separate us could be made. This withdrew me lower down the Rappahannock than I wished to come. I am not acquainted with your views,

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