claimants, and the remainder will be taken possession of by the quartermaster and properly branded and accounted for. A schedule or inventory thereof will be made out and filed at these headquarters, and the property will be taken up on the quarterly returns and accounted for as if purchased. Should useless property be thus acquired, the same board of survey may order it burned, or sent to Vicksburg for sale for the benefit of the United States.

5. Should sick men be conveyed in carriages, buggies, or vehicles other than the usual army wagons or ambulances, they must be taken out, and the carriages, buggies, &c., disposed of according to this order, and colonels and surgeons of regiments will send back promptly to Messinger's their proper ambulances, to take co camp the sick thus conveyed. No excuse will be received for the passage of any unauthorized vehicle until its title is ascertained in the manner herein set forth.

By order of Major General W. T. Sherman:

R. M. SAWYER,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

HDQRS. U. S. FORCES, Natchez, MISS., July 24, 1863.

Lieutenant Colonel W. T. CLARK, Asst. Adjt. General SEVENTEENTH A. C.:

COLONEL: I have the honor to report that Major Worden, commanding my mounted infantry, returned last night from a two days' scout into the country, having passed east, through Washington, 15 miles toward Meadville, thence southeast to Kingston, and thence across the country to this point.

About a mile east of Washington Major Worden found concealed in a ravine and destroyed 207,000 rounds infantry ammunition and FIFTY-six boxes of 6 and 12 pounder artillery ammunition. Sixteen miles from here, near Kingston, he found a pile of 750 bales C. S. A. cotton. He reports large quantities of private cotton everywhere in the country.

The rebel General J. L. Logan, with from 800 to 1,000 mounted men, crossed Pearl River last Sunday, en route for Meridian. The large droves of C. S. A. cattle before reported have been driven to the northeast, and are probably mostly across Pearl River. I hear of 2,000 head at Union Church, about 30 miles a little north of east from here.

The people of the country back of here have been running their negroes and horses into Alabama. Very few good horses were found.

The people through the country are reported by Major Worden to be discouraged and hopeless of the rebellion, and ready to do almost any thing that will keep their negroes in the fields. There was a large public meeting at Hamburg on the 22nd, to consider the question of abandoning the Confederacy. I have not heard the result of it.

If you can send me a train of 50 wagons and harness, I could press mules, and haul in the 750 bales of C. S. A. cotton near Hamburg and other C. S. A. cotton.

I have also information that a Captain Smith, formerly in the United States naval service, who assisted in turning a Government vessel over to the C. S. A., has about 200 men raised now in Wilkinson County, near Woodville, and intends organizing a battalion to patrol the country in our rear, to cut off our small parties and also to burn all the cotton in the country liable to fall into Federal hands.

I have a great many applications from the people of this city and from traders, well indorsed by the Government authorities at New Orleans, for permission to allow the citizens to be supplied with family groceries