Proposed position of troops under General Fremont.

Infantry. Cavalry. Artillery.

FOR OCCUPATION OF POSTS.

To remain in Railroad District

(General Kelley's command.)

6th Virginia Railroad Regiment 1,347 - -

11th Virginia 614 - -

2nd Potomac Home Brigade 763 - -

One company Virginia cavalry - 84 -

Johnson's battery - - 1

2,742 84 1

Cheat Mountain District:

10th Virginia Infantry 800 - -

Valley of Virginia

3rd Potomac Home Brigade 333 - -

2nd, 3rd, and 5th Virginia 2,400 - -

Infantry

2,733 - -

District of the Kanawha:

4th Virginia Infantry 860 - -

9th Virginia Infantry 566 - -

Four companies cavalry - 280 -

Battery - - 1

1,426 280 1

7,683 364 2

FOR FIELD OPERATIONS.

General Blenker's division 8,400 600 3

General Schenck's command 2,400 370 2

10,800 970 5

To commence with General 3,500 100 2

Milroy's brigade

14,300 1,070 7

To continue with General Cox's 7,500 800 3

division

Grand total 21,800 1,870 10

WHEELING, March 30, 1862.

Honorable E. M. STANTON,

Secretary of War:

Dispatch received. I extract from the suggestions submitted by me to the Secretary on the 19th instant paragraph Numbers 4, as follows:

Assuming that it is the desire of the Government that the first object of the commanding general shall be to take possession of the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad, and either hold the same and employ it in transportation of our own troops and stores or prevent its use by the enemy, the corps d'armee should march through the open land of Kentucky and East Tennessee directly upon Cumberland Gap or Knoxville, and so turn the position which the enemy may have assumed or determined upon in the mountains or defiles of the Alleghanies. It will therefore become necessary to concentrate troops at Nicholasville, Ky. Nicholasville is a point having railroad connections direct with Louisville and Cincinnati, and in better communication with all parts of the North. The roads from there to Knoxville are good and the country abundant in forage.

Will the Secretary authorize me to receive from any Governor of the Western States any disposable troops they may have? I urge this to enable me to move. Being now in command of my department, I ask