dissatisfaction and unwillingness to serve longer with his present command. Can you not by some means give him an equivalent for the five regiments of cavalry sent to Nashville? They were assigned by General Grant to my department, but were otherwise disposed of by you, for good and sufficient reasons. It would seem but just that an equivalent force be given me in place of those regiments, yet I do not ask it on my own account. I cannot spare General Hovey at this time, unless you can give me a competent division commander to take his place. This I am aware may be very difficult to do. The command in its present shape is far from being a desirable one, as it consists of only six new regiments, with an aggregate of about 3,000 men for duty. Will you please inform me what action you may take upon General Hovey's resignation.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

J. M. SCHOFIELD,

Major-General, Commanding.

HDQRS. MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI,
In the Field, Acworth, Ga., June 8, 1864.

Major-General SCHOFIELD, Commanding, &c.:

GENERAL: I am just in receipt of yours of to-day relative to General Hovey's resignation. I cannot consent to General Hovey's resigning with an erroneous impression that he has been unfriendly dealt by. He raised in Indiana a command of five regiments of infantry and five of cavalry, and brought the five of infantry into the sphere of my authority, and as you were more in need of re-enforcements than either of the other army commanders I assigned them to you. It was with infinite difficulty, and then only on an emphatic order of the Secretary of War, that I could get the cavalry regiments. They would have served out their time in Indiana had I not importunately demanded their services as infantry, admitting the honest truth no amount of money on earth would mount a volunteer division, and that this Indiana cavalry should first serve a year on foot. They did not even start from Indiana until after we had begun our battles. They are on our railroad and cannot now be spared. I have no other troops to replace them or to swell General Hovey's command. I will give him time for reflection. He knows the facts, all the facts, and he ought not to complain of me. I have, as you know, always sought to do him honor. I now ask General Hovey's to name anything he wants except that we shall break up another division to make his up to the standard. Whose division shall we break up? If he resigns we will have to break up his division and scatter it, the very thing he pledged not to allow. I cannot put cavalry and infantry into the same division, nor can I commit myself as to the time when the cavalry he raised in Indiana will be mounted or consolidated with infantry. The mistake was in the conception of such an idea. It never was done and never can be done, even if Mr. Lincoln promised it. Divisions must be a unit, and five regiments of infantry and five regiments of cavalry will no more make a unit in a good whole than oil and water will commingle.

If General Hovey will allege some other reason for resignation than fancied injustice I will approve his resignation and consent to his leaving, giving an order in the same paragraph that his division be broke up and added to your other two.

I am, &c.,

W. T. SHERMAN,

Major-General, Commanding.