The Kentucky troops being only the remnant, with the exception of a small brigade of the original command of General Morgan, left after his raid of the summer of 1863 through Ohio, and his raid of last summer into Kentucky, and of the fragments of various regiments and battalions of Tennessee troops, which formerly constituted the brigades of Brigadier-Generals Vaughn and Raynolds. Some of these fragments were very small and were all thrown together; an attempt is still being made to preserve their original organizations. In the case of the Tennessee troops there is this also to be stated: In the month of May last these regiments, &c., all the under the command of Brigadier-General Vaughn, were ordered to Staunton by the late General William E. Jones, and all whose horses were in proper condition obeyed the order and went to Staunton, from which point they continued in the command of General Breckinridge, in the army of Lieutenant-General Early, leaving, however, in this department and in North Carolina some 600 men, whose horses were not in condition to be moved, and the various regiments and battalions have ever since been thus divided, producing the greatest confusion, probably more than half of every regiment and battalion and a part of almost every company, with a portion of th officers of each, being here, and the balance in the army of General Early. I am informed by General Vaughn that there are now in this department 900 of these men, and with General Early not more than some 400 or 500, the number of the first having been constantly increasing, and of the latter decreasing, many men coming through the lines of the enemy to the command here, and a good many, no doubt, leaving the command under General Early and joining the one here.

Of course not much can be done to organize properly these troops until the portions of the command in this department and in Early's army are united. I would respectfully suggest that the troops with General Early, known there as Vaughn's brigade, be ordered to this department, in order that the various regiments may be properly organized. I do not know that I have stated number with entire accuracy, as the records in the assistant adjutant-general's office of the department do not enable me to determine the strength of the various commands, no reports having been made since 1st of August, and then very imperfectly and unsatisfactory. I would also suggest the propriety of authority being given to me to consolidate some of thee regiments and battalions, which are very small, which I think might be done with much advantage to the service and without detriment to the rights of individuals. I have nor yet seen a roster of the officers of the department, there being none at the department headquarters. Tho show the lamentable want of discipline heretofore existing, I may state that some two or three weeks ago one of the regiments in the department refused to obey an order to move from their then location, and mutinied, and a captain and a large number of the men separated from the balance of the regiment, many of whom have not yet returned. When I assumed the command these facts were reported to me, and I at once directed the most active measures to be taken for the arrest of the captain and his close confinement until he could be tried and punished. This arrest has before this been effected, I hope. I have already taken steps which will insure hereafter regular returns from the command, and a full roster of all officers attached thereto; and I have also adopted measures which will insure a better state of discipline. Everything in my power shall be done to bring about a better state of things than

55 R R-VOL XLIII, PT II