to take charge of the men and property left in camp. Further orders will be given in the morning as to the order of march, &c. Please report when ready to march.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

A. E. DANA,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

(Same to commanding officer Second Brigade.)

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF WEST VIRGINIA,
Camp Russell, Va., Near Kernsown, va., November 27, 1864.

ADJUTANT-GENERAL U. S. ARMY,

Washington City, D. C.:

GENERAL: I have the honor to call your attention to the fact that the troops properly belonging to and now serving in this department amount to over 20,000 that their efficiency is suffering much for want of a proper organization, and that it is impossible to bring them up to a proper degree of efficiency without a staff of more rank than that now allowed to the commander of this department; besides, taht esprit de corps so essential to all armies can only be incased by a more efficient organization. Therefore I most earnestly request that the troops of this department be organized into designated the Twenty-first Army Corps.

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

GEORGE CROOK,

Major-General, Commanding Department.

HEADQUARTERS MIDDLE MILITARY DIVISION,
November 27, 1864.

Brigadier-General STEVENSON,

Harper's Ferry:

Quantities of supplies are constantly coming on the railroad from Baltimore, and go south. They are taken off cars at Duffield's and other stations on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and sent south via Millwood and other routes. The utmost vigilance must be used to break up this traffic, and all persons concerned in it must be arrested as spies and treated accordingly; to catch them the greatest secretary is necessary. You will on no condition permit citizens of this valley to go north, or rebel citizens or their to come south, of Harper's Ferry, except on a pass from these headquarters. These orders must be strictly enforced.

P. H. SHERIDAN,

Major-General.

(Copy to General Lightburn, Martinsburg.)

GENERAL ORDERS, HDQRS. MIL. DIST. OF HARPER'S FERRY, No. 27. Harper's ferry, Va., November 27, 1864.

The provost-marshals at Point of Rocks, berlin, Sandy Hook, Harper's Ferry, Duffield's, Kearneysville, and Martinsburg will hereafter upon the arrival of the trains of the Baltimore an ohio Railroad at