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Hon. GIDEON WELLES,

Secretary of the Navy:

FORT MONROE, July 11, 1864.

Operator at Cherrystone says he saw yesterday department orders to send three gun-boats to Washington. Steam-tug bringing it from Cherrystone has mysteriously disappeared. Will send Vicksburg and Morse to Washington, Emma to Annapolis, Cuyler to Point Lookout until Minnesota can clear her moorings foul of other anchors.

S. P. LEE, Acting Rear-Admiral.

HEADQUARTERS SAINT MARY'S DISTRICT,
Point Lookout, Md., July 11, 1864--10.30 a. m.
(Received 11.25 a. m.)

Hon. E. M. STANTON,
Secretary of War, Washington, D. C.:

Your dispatch just received. Reports have been made to you at 9 a. m. and 7 p. m. every day since I have been here. On my arrival I found here the gun-boats William Bacon, five guns; Currituck, five guns; in all, eight long 32s, one 12-pounder (rifle), one 24-pounder (rifle). On the receipt of your dispatches there were added the Fuchsia, five guns, and the Resolute. Yesterday the Currituck, Resolute, and Fuchsia were ordered up the bay. Other vessels are to be ordered here to-day. The transfer of prisoners to New York is diminishing the force here in consequence of the guards necessary to accompany them. Three guards of seventy-five each have already been sent. The trimonthly report sent to General Augur yesterday exhibits the strength of the command here. Is your direction to report twice a day to be understood as additional to those regularly made heretofore?

JAMES BARNES, Brigadier-General, Commanding District.

COMMANDING OFFICER,

WASHINGTON, D. C., July 11, 1864.

Point Lookout, Md.:

Give all facilities to telegraph department for transmitting dispatches to Cherrystone and Fort Monroe by boat.

H. W. HALLECK, Major-General and Chief of Staff.

WAR DEPARTMENT, ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE,

Brig. Gen. N. J. JACKSON,

Hart's Island, New York Harbor:

July 11, 1864.

Order the three companies of the Seventh New York Volunteers to proceed without delay to the Army of the Potomac, via Old Point Comfort. Acknowledge receipt.

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WASHINGTON, July 12, 1864–11.30 a. m.

Lieutenant-General GRANT:

Vague rumors have been reaching us for two or Longstreet's corps is also on its way to this vicinity. absence from your front.

three days that Look out for its

A. LINCOLN.

Lieutenant-General GRANT,

WASHINGTON, D. C., July 12, 1864.

City Point:

At the request of General Canby General Reynolds was appointed to command of the Nineteenth Corps. I presume, however, that he will command only what remains on the Mississippi. General Gillmore is appointed temporary commander of the portion that may arrive here. General Ord has been appointed to command the Eighth Corps and troops in the Middle Department in place of General Wallace. I think the matter of a permanent commander of the Tenth Corps should be delayed till present difficulties are over. The order respecting General Butler and the Eighteenth Corps was made precisely to carry out your views as expressed in your letter and telegram. If not satisfactory please make for the Adjutant-General a draft of one that will embrace exactly what you desire. Only about half of the Sixth Corps has landed and only one transport of the Nineteenth Corps. Till more arrive and are organized nothing can be done in the field. I think, however, that Washington is now pretty safe, unless the forces in some part of the intrenchments, and they are by no means reliable, being made up of all kind of fragments, should give away before they can be re-enforced from other points. A line thirty-seven miles in length is very difficult to guard at all points with an inferior force. The forces in our front seem to be those previously named. Prisoners and citizens say that parts of Hill's and Longstreet's corps are expected. If this be true the enemy in your front must be very weak indeed. Nothing heard of Hunter. The breaking of the wires to Baltimore and Harrisburg has cut off all communication with him and with General Howe at Harper's Ferry. It seems to be the impression here that the enemy is massing his forces to attack us to-morrow. The boldness of this movement would indicate that he is stronger than we supposed.

H. W. HALLECK, Major-General and Chief of Staff.

CITY POINT, VA., July 12, 1864-10 p. m.
(Received 1.20 p. m. 13th.)

Col. E. D. TOWNSEND,
Washington, D. C.:

Dispatch announcing General Orders, No. 228, of July 11, received.* I have made strenuous efforts to discover if any troops besides Ewell's corps have left here. I believe now others have left. I now have infantry and cavalry out near Reams' Station, where the enemy are found intrenched. The night of the 9th a deserter from Hill's corps came in,

*See Vol. XXXVII, Part II, pp. 210, 214.

who stated that he left his corps in the morning on a pass to go into Petersburg. Returning in the evening he found the corps gone. Other deserters since in state that the corps has not moved.

U. S. GRANT,
Lieutenant-General.

CITY POINT, VA., July 12, 1864-12 m.
(Received 1.20 p. m. 13th.)

Maj. Gen. H. W. HALLECK,

Chief of Staff:

Give orders assigning Maj. Gen. H. G. Wright to supreme command of all troops moving out against the enemy, regardless of the rank of other commanders. He should get outside the trenches with all the force he possibly can and should push Early to the last moment, supplying himself from the country. This will not place General Wright over General Augur, who commands the defenses, but will place him in command of such of his troops and commanders as may be sent outside. The Sixth Corps has all reached Washington and Baltimore, and two divisions of the Nineteenth Corps must reach there during to-mor row, besides the dismounted cavalry sent from here. This, with Hunter's force, must be sufficient to guard all our fortifications and leave an abundant force to go outside. To this time re-enforcements have been sent from here as fast as transportation could be provided, and then hospital steamers have been used at that. Longstreet's corps is here, deserters being received from it within the last day. General Ord should move out from Baltimore cautiously the moment it becomes evident the enemy has left his front, or so weakened it as to enable him to do so.

Lieut. Gen. U. S. GRANT:

U. S. GRANT,
Lieutenant-General.

WASHINGTON, July 12, 1864.
(Received 13th.)

It appears that the Senate at their late session adjourned without confirming the appointment of Brig. Gen. James H. Wilson, U. S. Volunteers. The Secretary of War directs me to inform you that a new letter of appointment has this day been issued for that officer with original date of rank October 30, 1863, which will be forwarded you by mail.

JAS. A. HARDIE, Colonel and Inspector General.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC,
July 12, 1864—7 a. m.

Lieutenant-General GRANT:

I send two dispatches containing the latest information from scouts and deserters. They change the whole face of affairs, and would indicate a movement on our left flank, a negro at work yesterday afternoon near the railroad asserting positively that he saw troops passing

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south. It may be that they are preparing to meet another attempt on our part to destroy the road, or they may themselves be endeavoring to get in our rear. As soon as our cavalry is up I will send out to feel for the enemy.

GEO. G. MEADE, Major-General, Commanding.

[Inclosure No. 1.]

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC,
OFFICE OF PROVOST-MARSHAL-GENERAL,
July 11, 1864-11.45 p. m.

Major-General HUMPHREYS,

Chief of Staff":

Two deserters (brothers) from the Eighth Georgia Regiment, of Anderson's brigade, Field's division, Longstreet's corps, have been forwarded from the headquarters of the Fifth Corps. They came into our lines between sundown and dark this p. m. One of them states that he came out on picket last night about 100 yards in front of the works and had not been relieved when he left. His brother left the line of works about dark, and states that all of Longstreet's corps is there and in the same position it has been occupying for the last week or more. Their brigade occupies a position at a sharp angle in the works running back from a deep ravine. One brigade of their division is to the right of their brigade, and Robertson's [Gregg's] and Law's brigades to their left, reaching to the Norfolk railroad. They think Beauregard's forces stretch from the Norfolk railroad to the Appomattox. That Kershaw's division, of their corps, is on their right, joining A. P. Hill's corps, and Pickett's division on the extreme right of the line on the north side of the Appomattox. Nothing is known by either of informants of any movements of A. P. Hill's corps or any part of it. There were rumors in camp last night that some of the troops were cooking rations ready for a march, but up to 6 o'clock today there were no signs of any movement in their corps.

NOTE.-The deserter who brought information of the movement of the entire corps of A. P. Hill stated positively that Longstreet had moved up and occupied the place vacated by the corps.

Very respectfully,

GEORGE H. SHARPE,

Colonel, &c.

Per JNO. C. BABCOCK.

[Inclosure No. 2.]

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC,

July 12, 1861.

General A. A. HUMPHREYS: A deserter from Finegan's (Florida) brigade came into our lines about 9 o'clock last night. He has been out on picket since last Friday and has not been to the line of works but once during the time, and that was Sunday night. Last night just before he came into our lines his post was relieved by a friend, who told him that all of Heth's division and one brigade of Mahone's division, Wright's, was on the move; that it was understood we had again cut the Weldon railroad, and that they were moving in that direction down the railroad; that more were going, This is all he knows concerning the movement, but he thinks his friend's

12 R R-VOL XL, PT III

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statement reliable and believes the movement to have been made; if they met with no force on the railroad they would make a demonstration in our rear. Scout Carney returned this a. m. Our agent was at Ennis' farm yesterday cradling oats in sight of the railroad. Yesterday afternoon about 4 o'clock he saw troops passing south on the Halifax road thinks there was a division; was told by a man who came up from Reams' Station that they crossed just below Reams' and went to Proctor's on the Jerusalem plank road. Could not learn whose division it was. There was a brigade of cavalry at Ennis' house last night; was there at 3 o'clock this morning. Our agent has been constantly in sight of the railroad for the past two or three days. No troops have been moved on the railroad either way to his knowledge. The cars have been running regularly since the road was repaired and the supplies have not been taken into the city, but unloaded at lead-works and issued from that point to the troops. Arrangements have been made with our agent to find out more particulars concerning this movement, where the force has really gone, and what it is.

Major-General HUMPHREYS,

JOHN C. BABCOCK.

PLANK ROAD SIGNAL STATION,

Chief of Staff:

July 12, 1864.

GENERAL: Two trains of cars came up the Weldon railroad-one train of eight box-cars and two platform-cars, loaded, apparently, with grain; the other train of six platform-cars was empty. About 2,000 infantry marched toward Petersburg, along the Weldon railroad, eutering the line of works near the lead-works. Everything else in the enemy's lines seems quiet, though small working parties are digging in the vicinity of the Gregory House.

General GRANT:

B. F. FISHER,

Captain and Chief Signal Officer.

[ Indorsement.]

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC,
July 12-8.30 a, m.

The above just received. This looks as if the troops seen yesterday moving down the railroad were the relief to the infantry guards on the road, and the body now mentioned are the relieved returning. Gregg has come up with his division and has been ordered to reconnoiter toward Reams' Station and Proctor's Tavern. I hope he will get some information.

Major-General MEADE:

GEO. G. MEADE,
Major-General.

CITY POINT, July 12, 1864.
(Received 10.30.a. m.)

The last news I have had from Maryland was to the evening of the 10th. At that time Wallace had been beaten at Monocacy, and was retreating toward Baltimore in disorder. I got a dispatch from the President dated yesterday; but it gave no news of the invasion. But

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