Brigade of this corps, composed principally of the troops which were under General Moor, and the command of that brigade is assigned to you. Your headquarters may be for the present at Buckhannon, but to be transferred to Beverly or elsewhere as the season advances and as the exigencies and conveniences of the service may, in your judgment, require. The other troops of General Cox's command which were transferred to this department with the District of Western Virginia will remain under the command of Brigadier General E. P. Scammon. General Cox himself will not remain in or return to Western Virginia. Brigadier-General Kelley is familiar with the geography, people, and location of troops within the district of country or region wherein your operations will be, and you are directed to confer with him in order to obtain the fullest information he can give you. On consultation with the Secretary of War and General-in-Chief at Washington, and considering the special character of the service, it has been thought best that all the troops employed on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad from the Monocacy to the Ohio River should be under one command, and that General Kelley, who has been so long on the duty, should be placed in charge of that protective force. Your command will be an independent one, reporting directly to these headquarters.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

WM. H. CHESEBROUGH,

Lieutenant-Colonel and Assistant Adjutant-General.

[25.]

SPECIAL ORDERS,
HEADQUARTERS FIRST ARMY CORPS, Numbers 79.
March 27, 1863.

* * * * *

3. Brigadier General Thomas A. Rowley, volunteer service, will report in person to Brigadier-General Doubleday, commanding Third Division for assignment to a brigade.

By command of Major-General Reynolds:

C. KINGSBURY, Jr.,
Lieutenant-Colonel and Assistant Adjutant-General.

[25.]

HEADQUARTERS THIRD ARMY CORPS,
March 30, 1863.

His Excellency the PRESIDENT:

SIR: I have the honor to commend to the attention of Your Excellency the services of Prince Salm, of Prussia, a colonel in the Eighth New York Volunteers, with reference to his promotion. This distinguished officer has shared with us for more than a year the fortunes of our eventful war. He brought to our cause the experience of several compaigns in Europe and the professional advantages of a thorough military education. This is the fist instance in which I have ventured to address a recommendation to the Government in bahalf of any officer not serving in my own command, nor should I feel justified in this deviation from the rule hitherto prescribed for myself unless I had enjoyed the opportunity to assure myself of the eminent ability and worth of Colonel Salm. If he not before been brought more directly to the notice of Your Excellency it is none the less flattering to his unobtrusive merit. And I am sure that it will be gratifying to the people of his country to see that the zeal and devotion of one who, following the illustious exemple of La Fayette and Steuben, has been signalized by that recognition which, fairly earned in the field and