GENERAL ORDERS,
ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE, Numbers 22.
Washington, May 18, 1861.

Paragraph 4, General Orders, Numbers 15, of May 4, 1861, fixing the money value of clothing for volunteers, is modified so as to allow to the militia in the service of the United States the same money allowance for clothing as is provided for the Regular Army.

By order:

L. THOMAS,

Adjutant-General.

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, Hartford, Conn., May 18, 1861.

Honorable SIMON CAMERON,

Secretary of War, Washington:

DEAR SIR: Your favor of the 16th instant is at hand, in which you say "one regiment is assigned to your State in addition to the two regiments of three-months' militia already called for-three regiments." Your also add:

Let me earnestly recommend to you, therefore, to call for no more than three regiments, of which one only is to serve for three years, or during the war, and if more are already called for, to reduce the number by discharge.

Allow me to say that this communication presents the subject in a different light from that in which I have been acting. The position of matters stands in this manner with me: You first made a call for one regiment for three months. I called that, and, independent of your action, organized two others for three months, and tendered their services to the War Department, which were declined. I then went to Washington and stated my position first to General Scott, as I first saw him, and he said the Department could not use the three-months' men to advantage, but wanted men for three years. I told him that if he would accept the two regiments already organized, I would organize two more to take their places when their time should expire. He said that under such circumstances or with such assurances the Department would accept them. I called on Your Excellency the next day and merely stated in a very brief manner my business, and I understood Your Excellency to say that you had decided the previous day to meet my wishes in the matter. I did not enter upon any explanation at length, but as your decision must have been based upon the arrangement made with General Scott, I felt that I could not be mistaken in regard to the number of regiments to be raised. I accordingly returned to send forward as soon as they could be made ready the two additional regiments for three months and two others for three years. I was also desirous of tendering the Government a third regiment for the war, to be furnished with and drilled in the use of Colt's breech-revolving rifle, with the further idea that the same would be incorporated into the Regular Army. My design, in connection with Colonel Colt, who tenders and offers to arm the regiment without expense to the Government, is to make that regiment the best and most complete of any offered from any State, and to drill them at the expense of this State until it shall be thoroughly prepared for active service.

For this purpose I dispatched Colonel William A. Aiken to inquire whether you would accept such a regiment in addition to the two for three years. The verbal message brought by Colonel Aiken was that the Department would not accept the regiment of riflemen in addition to the two for three years, but that it would be accepted in connection