HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF NEW ENGLAND,
Boston, October 5, 1861.

His Excellency JOHN A. ANDREW:

SIR: I herewith inclose a copy of General Orders, Numbers 1., which I assume command of the Department of New England.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, Your Excellency's most obedient servant,

BENJ. F. BUTLER,

Major-General, Commanding.

GENERAL ORDERS, HDQRS. DEPT. OF NEW ENGLAND, Numbers 1.
Boston, October 5, 1861.*

By order of the President of the United States, the six New England States are constituted the Department of New England, under the command of Major General B. F. Butler, headquarters at Boston.

The major-general commanding announces his staff as follows:

Major George C. Strong, assistant adjutant-general, acting officer of ordnance and chief of staff.

Captain Peter Haggerty and Lieutenant W. H. Wiegel, aides-de- camp.

Gilman Kimball, brigade surgeon, medical director.

Captain Paul R. George, brigade quartermaster, assistant quartermaster.

All officers in command of troops mustered in the service of the United States will report either in person or by letter to the headquarters.

The quarterly and monthly returns of the several U. S. officers in this department for the 30th of September, not already forwarded, will be forwarded to these headquarters. The attention of such officers is called to the regulations which require such communications to be made to the chief of staff.

Full returns of the material in the commissary, quartermaster's, and ordnance departments, under the charge of U. S. officers, are forthwith required.

By command of Major-General Butler:

PETER HAGGERTY,

Aide-de-Camp and Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF NEW ENGLAND,
Boston, October 5, 1861.

His Excellency JOHN A. ANDREW,

Commander-in-Chief:

MY DEAR SIR: Being desirous of raising some men in New England for special purpose, to be armed and equipped with reference thereto, I asked the authorization of the President of the United States to raise them and he gave it to me, and telegraphed for your assent, as well as the Governors of other New England States.

Your assent was given. Acting upon that I called upon you and you desired that I should wait a week, when the regiment of Colonel Wilson, then being recruited, would be full before I took any action upon that subject. To this I assented and have been only looking out for my officers for recruiting purposes, and have made no public announcement, and allowed one who had a special corps to make advertisement which I thought would be fully within the spirit of the understanding. I then showed your an order to take regiments already

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*Another copy of this order, on file in the War Department, is dated October 6, 1861. See Vol. LI, Part I, p. 494.

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