be obtained by hauling them from seven to fifteen miles. The remainder of the route is without the means of army supplies except such as are to be had upon the Cumberland Mountain. There is another Mountain. There is another route which diverges from the one under consideration near the Tennessee line and leads to Jacksborough. This route, as I understand, is very rough in places and passes through Wheeler's Gap. A third route leads from this place to Monticello, thence to Jamestown, Tenn., thence to Montgomery and on. I have traveled it often. It is a pretty good wagon way, being the great Southern stock route. The chief objection is the ascent of the Cumberland Mountain in Fentress County, Tenn. There are two roads by which the ascent is made, one of which is known as the Huff road, which is much the best and its ascent easily made unless an enemy obstructed or resisted its passage. The Point Isabel route is, however, upon the best ground, less hilly the other, though a greater distance of mountain country to pass over, hence supplies more difficult, &c. I wrote General Thomas a few days sinc invasion by the rebels of Wayne and Clinton Counties. Since then I have seen a gentleman who has been in the neighborhood of their encampment. He represents that a prominent rebel of that vicinity informed him that the greater part of the rebel forces had been ordered to join Buckner at once and that they had started forward to Bowling Green, leaving the greater part of their equipage behind and some 400 troops to protect it; that it was understood in camp that so soon as they whipped Rousseau they would return and then occupy Wayne and Clinton for the purpose of obtaining winter supplies. There are 200 rebel cavalry at Three Forks of Wolf, about twenty miles south of Monticello, which, with the 400 above mentioned, are all that are known to be near the Wayne and Clinton borders at this time. Two hundred cavalry placed at Monticello would insure the protection of that country for the present, &c.

Yours, truly,

E. L. VAN WINKLE.

[4.]

GENERAL ORDERS,
HDQRS. DEPT. OF THE CUMBERLAND, Numbers 13.
Louisville, Ky., October 21, 1861.

General Orders, Numbers 2, issued from the office of the adjutant-general of the Kentucky Militia, directing the consolidation of the Kentucky Volunteers into companies, battalions, and regiments, meets the approval of the commanding general. All persons who are raising regiments in the State of Kentucky under the authority of the War Department or of my predecessor, unless their regiments are full or already brigaded, will report to the adjutant-general of the State and conform to the instructions of the State Military Board until their organization is complete and they are ready to be mustered into the service of the United States.

By command of Brigadier-General Sherman:

OLIVER D. GREENE,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

[4.]

GENERAL ORDERS,
HDQRS. DEPT. OF THE CUMBERLAND, Numbers 14.
Louisville, Ky., October 21, 1861.

Captain Nathaniel Michler, Corps Topographical Engineers, having reported at these headquarters in compliance with Special Orders, No.