OFFICE OF THE QUARTERMASTER-GENERAL OF OHIO,

Columbus, August 13, 1862.

P. H. WATSON, Esq.,

Assistant Secretary of War, Washington, D. C.:

SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your telegram of yesterday. I beg to assure you that our State authorities entertain no suspicions of injustice from the General Government, but are simply anxious to have our troops well and promptly armed. As I must again remind you, no Springfield rifle muskets had ever been issued to Ohio, and we could not think that we had our fair proportion of them. Our estimate of Enfields received covered the entire issue to the State since the war, not from any particular date, and in reference to the last lot of 10,000 received, my correspondence with the Ordnance Bureau will advise you that they were not only not equal to Springfields, but a very indifferent and imperfect arm. (See letter to General Ripley of July 3, inclosing a copy of statement of deficiencies in Enfields.) You will not have forgotten that nearly 4,000 of these arms have been issued to Ohio troops now in service, and though I regretted exceedingly parting with the Enfields to Colonel Burbank during the Morgan raid, the issue was made upon his urgent requisition, and was deemed by the Governor an imperative necessity. I had no other serviceable arms to issue, and hope soon to recover them. I thank you for the Springfields, and will make a prudent distribution of them. Our regiments, however, will be maximum in number, and as the Governor desires that they shall be fully armed and equipped before they leave the State, we may have to make a further requisition on you. As regards the Springfield smooth-bores, I have no doubt they would prove more serviceable than many rifles we have issued, but volunteers have a strong prejudice in favor of the rifles. As you are aware, the Springfields and Austrian rifles, .58 caliber, have been consigned to Captain Dod. The Governor has not yet been advised of a compliance with his request that those, together with all ordnance stores for Ohio troops, should pass through my hands.

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

GEO. B. WRIGHT,

Quartermaster-General of Ohio.

HARRISBURG, August 13, 1862.

(Received 3.15 p. m .)

General C. P. BUCKINGHAM:

The requisition was made on this State on the 7th July for twenty-one regiments. We have more than 21,000 ready, and many more dependent on questions I hope to settle by a personal visit at 10 o"clock to-morrow morning.

A. G. CURTIN.

WASHINGTON, D. C., August 13, 1862.

General KETCHUM,

Harrisburg:

You will send immediately to this city all volunteers who are mustered into the U. S. service, whether armed or not. You will assume