an excellent reserve battery. I have sent to bring forward my Fourth Brigade to make an early move to-morrow morning. Let them know in Washington we will be in Front Royal to-morrow night.

Will you send Ord's division on after me? If so, I will take the Strasburg turnpike road and he can take the Front Royal road. In that case the enemy cannot escape us.

General, have you any particular suggestions as to the course to pursue?

JAS. SHIELDS,

Major-General, Commanding.

HDQRS. DEPARTMENT OF THE RAPPAHANNOCK,
Manassas, May 29, 1862.

Major-General SHIELDS,

Commanding Division, Rectortown:

DEAR GENERAL: You shall go forward with your whole division; none left behind for guards. Ord's division shall be on your heels if I can get them there. I am sending out large trains to get Ord up with you immediately. The accident at Thoroughfare Gap will not detain us many hours. Forage and subsistence are on the way to you. Colonel Haupt has joined us, and will go forward and see to rebuilding the bridges up to the Shenandoah. We cannot afford to wait for that, so we must make our arrangements to operate for the present from Front Royal. Telegraph repairs will be commenced to-morrow to Front Royal. I cannot now say as to your sending your sick to Manassas, but think they will have to be sent to Alexandria. The guns at Alexandria are the Napoleon guns. I am afraid it would only embarrass us to try to substitute them at this late moment, with everything taxed to the utmost, as we are. I will soon be with you in person. I intended going to your headquarters to-day but for the accident which has blocked everything up. Have you heard from General Geary yet?

IRVIN MCDOWELL,

Major-General, Commanding Department.

RECTORTOWN, May 29, 1862.

Colonel E. SCHRIVER, Chief of Staff:

All well, and everything going on finely. Pioneers felling trees to reconstruct bridges from here to Front Royal. All we want for that purpose are three or four kegs of spikes. We have picked up tents, private baggage, swords, and even commissions, which Geary's officers threw away.

JAS. SHIELDS,

Commanding Division.

RECTORTOWN, May 29, 1862.

Colonel E. SCHRIVER:

General Shields desires to have more forage above all things; then commissary stores. Troops are not needed at all. There is no forage here, and the horses are weak for want of grain. Nothing heard of the enemy. Only a small guard at Front Royal. It seems, if we get