to-night. In no case will the pickets of any division or brigade fall back until those on their left have done so. Lieutenant Taylor, aide-de-camp, will accompany the picket officer of the First Division, and will guide the whole picket-line in moving off to-night. By promptness the pickets should all be in the main works by midnight.

By order of Major-General Stanley:

J. S. FULLERTON,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

GENERAL ORDERS,
HDQRS. CAV. DIV., ARMY OF THE OHIO, Numbers 6.
Before Atlanta, Ga., August 25, 1864.

The colonel commanding has had, in common with every officer and soldier of his command, occasion to know from personal observation that horses and mules captured from the enemy, and taken from disloyal citizens, have not been treated as the property of the Government, but and such claimed as the private property of the Government, but have been claimed as the private property of both officers and soldiers, and as such have been the subject of trade and sale between soldiers, and between soldiers and officers, and in many instances have been sold to the Government buyers, to private horse dealers, or shipped to the homes of their pretended owners. In common with all honest men, both soldiers and officers of this command, the colonel commanding desires that these dishonest practices be stopped, and that our Government be no more defrauded by any one of this command of its right to captured property. The two desirable objects to be attained are: first, that the captured horses and mules shall become the property of the United States; second, that the individual company or regiment making the capture shall have the privilege of the use of it. Both of these desirable ends can be attained by frequent inspection of companies and regiments, and the branding of all horses and mules found to be without the brand. It is well known to all cavalrymen that it is almost, if not entirely, impossible that there should be a fair, bona fide purchase of a horse from a citizen or soldier in this country. The colonel commanding, therefore, desires it to be known to his command, that it will give him pleasure to see all his officers and men well mounted on captured horses bearing the brand of the Government, and trusts that the only claim any one in this command may ever make to a captured horse may be to use it in the service of the Government. It is therefore ordered that all horses and mules captured from the enemy or taken from citizens be branded with the Government brand as soon as practicable after the capture; and that captured horses and mules in excess of the need of the company or regiments be turned over to the regimental, brigade, or division quartermaster for issue to other portions of the command. Company and regimental officer are charged with the duty of making inspections, which will be necessary to carry this order into effect, and will be held responsible for such neglect as will countenance or encourage the conversion of captured property to private use. It will be the duty of the acting assistant inspector-general of this command to report to these headquarters the names of officers having in their commands unbranded animals.

This order to be read to each company in this command within forty-eight hours.

By command of Israel Garrard, colonel, commanding:

T. F. ALLEN,

Captain and Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.