Colonel ABBOT: SMITH'S HEADQUARTERS, July 12, 1864. The truck of the 13-inch mortar broke down last night at fifth discharge. If you will send up another truck with two screw-jacks we will shift the mortar and try to rebuild the old truck or wait orders. Lieutenant Hall has just been killed by a sharpshooter. I shall try and make arrangements to send body home. T. S. TRUMBULL, Major. JULY 12, 1864. Colonel BURTON, Fifth Artillery, Chief of Artillery, Eighteenth Corps, Headquarters of General Smith: The 13-inch mortar is reported as having broken the car. desire it repaired with a view to further use? Do you HENRY L. ABBOT, Colonel First Connecticut Artillery. Colonel ABBOT: SMITH'S HEADQUARTERS, July 12, 1864. The car upon which the 13-inch mortar is placed is broken. It is desirable to have the car repaired for further use. Brig. Gen. RUFUS INGALLS, City Point: H. S. BURTON, Colonel. JULY 12, 1864–1.15 p. m. The 13-inch mortar has broken its truck car. Can you send a platform-car upon which we can shift the mortar while we repair it? HENRY L. ABBOT, Colonel First Connecticut Artillery. CITY POINT, VA., July 12, 1864. Col. H. L. ABBOT: Your dispatch is received. I will furnish the car. RUFUS INGALLS, Brigadier-General and Quartermaster. JULY 12, 1864–1.15 p. m. Major TRUMBULL, First Connecticut Artillery, Hdqrs. General Smith: Will send the car and jack-screws, also forge and battery wagon, with iron and what else you require if you desire it. The car must be repaired. State what you want. Have you a good mechanic? HENRY L. ABBOT, Colonel First Connecticut Artillery. Lieut. Col. E. W. SMITH, Assistant Adjutant-General : JULY 12, 1864-9.30 a. m. The volunteer party of two officers and fifty men called for by General Butler last evening have just returned. They, in connection with part of a company Third Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery, landed at Dutch Gap at 9 last night; crossed at 2.30 this morning to Cox's Wharf, where they captured 1 officer and 12 men; burned a mill, shop, dwelling, and outhouses, capturing a quantity of small-arms, a galvanic battery, two boxes of powder, and a torpedo. No casualties on our side. Please send copy to General Butler. (Forwarded to Lieutenant-General Grant.) R. S. FOSTER, GENERAL ORDERS, Į HEADQUARTERS TENTH ARMY CORPS, It has been brought to the knowledge of the brigadier-general commanding that in some of the regiments of this corps, he hopes in not more than one, officers are in the habit of associating on terms of familiarity with the enlisted men of their regiments, even to the extent of playing certain games together. If a proper sense of propriety and pride of profession will not stop this pernicious habit it is useless to issue orders on the subject for the government of officers. Any enlisted man hereafter found associating with officers, either playing at games, or otherwise, will be brought to trial for disobedience of orders. By order of Brig. Gen. W. T. H. Brooks: ED. W. SMITH, Assistant Adjutant-General. SPECIAL ORDERS, HEADQUARTERS TENTH ARMY CORPS, In order to relieve the detachment of dismounted cavalry, which has been for many days on picket on the left, the following arrangements will go into effect: Brigadier-General Terry, commanding First Division, will send 200 men, properly officered, to report to Brigadier-General Ferry, commanding Third Division, who will thereupon relieve the dismounted cavalry, replacing them on the picket-line by the troops from General Terry's command. General Ferry will re-enforce these troops by at least 200 men from his own command. General Ferry will send 300 men of the 100-days' men to report to General Terry, to take post on the picket-line, diminished by 200 of his old men transferred to General Ferry's front. By order of Brig. Gen. W. T. H. Brooks: ED. W. SMITH, Lieutenant-Colonel and Assistant Adjutant-General. Maj. Gen. B. F. BUTLER, HEADQUARTERS U. S. FORCES, Commanding Department of Virginia and North Carolina: GENERAL: Is it expected that I will give all the aid in my power to repair and keep up the U. S. military telegraph line from this place to Swan Point in preference to working on the fortifications here? Very respectfully, Col. G. S. INNIS: You will do all you can to keep the telegraph in repair. R. S. DAVIS, Assistant Adjutant-General. FORT MONROE, VA., July 12, 1864-1.35 p. m. Lieutenant-General GRANT: I have reached here with the advance of the two divisions of the Nineteenth Army Corps, and received orders to go to Washington and shall start to-night. It will be one week before the rear of the column gets here. Colonel Shaffer will continue to report the ships with the number of troops as they arrive. W. H. EMORY, Brigadier-General, Commanding. HEADQUARTERS SAINT MARY'S DISTRICT, All quiet. Colonel Hoffman arrived here this afternoon. The U. S. steamer R. R. Cuyler arrived this afternoon. The Minnesota is expected to-morrow. JAS. BARNES, Brigadier-General, Commanding. CITY POINT, VA., July 13, 1864–12 m. Major-General HALLECK, Washington, D. C.: Summary of evidence gathered from deserters, scouts, and cavalry reconnaissance by Gregg on our left, shows that none of Hill's or Longstreet's corps have left our front. Two brigades (Lane's and McGowan's) of Wilcox's division, Hill's corps, are on north side of James, in Foster's front; two brigades (Thomas' and Scales'), same division, same corps, are between Walthall and Appomattox; Pickett's division in Butler's immediate front, and, deserters say, Davis' brigade, of Heth's division, Hill's corps, is in reserve in rear of Pickett. Gregg ascertained by reconnaissance that Fitz. Lee's division and Bowers' Rosser's] brigade cavalry are at Reams' Station, intrenched, and the citizens say some infantry, though he found no infantry. Mahone's division, Longstreet's corps, is in front of the Fifth Corps. Evidence of this seems positive. Deserters from Mahone's division (Florida regiments) say that Heth's division has returned to his old position in reserve. Its movement seems to have been made down the railroad, fearing Wright was moving in that direction, but finding he was not it has returned. Progress of work good as could be expected under such hot sun. U. S. GRANT, WASHINGTON, D. C., July 13, 1864—1 p. m. Lieutenant-General GRANT, City Point: Your telegram of 12 m. yesterday is just received. General Wright has already been assigned to the command of the troops to go to the field. I have telegraphed to General Ord as you directed. He reports Ricketts' division to be reduced to an aggregate of 2,488. The only other force he has is 500 colored, 200 sailors, 3,000 militia, and a body of armed citizens. The remains of Ricketts' division are the only forces that can take the field. I telegraphed you this morning the number of available troops here for the field, and also the most reliable estimate of enemy's strength. Nothing whatever about Hunter. Hon. C. A. DANA, H. W. HALLECK, Major-General and Chief of Staff. CITY POINT, VA., July 13, 1864-2.30 p. m. Assistant Secretary of War: Deserters are coming in daily, giving the position of every division of the rebel army. Some are in to-day from Longstreet's corps, giving the position of two of his divisions, and the third we know to be in front of Butler, who has probably received fifty deserters from it in the last week. Boldness is all that is wanted to drive the enemy out of Maryland in confusion. I hope and believe Wright is the man to assure that. The advance of two divisions of the Nineteenth Corps passed Fort Monroe yesterday, and I hope the whole of them will reach Washington within the next twenty-four hours. U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General. HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, Lieutenant-General GRANT: I have nothing particular to report beyond what was contained in special dispatches of the transactions during the past twenty-four hours. Gregg's cavalry was withdrawn last night to Lee's Mill, from whence he pickets toward Reams' Station and along the railroad to the left of the army. I deem it proper to retain him there for the present, as he obtained undoubted evidence from prisoners that Fitz. Lee's division and Rosser's brigade of cavalry were at the station. He could hear nothing of infantry beyond the reports of citizens, who stated that Hill's corps was at the station, supporting the cavalry. This probably meant Heth's division, which from other sources we had reason to believe was on the railroad guarding it and supporting the cavalry. There appears to be no doubt that up to noon yesterday, and even later, Mahone's division, of Hill's corps, was in front of the Fifth Corps. The preparation of batteries in front of the Fifth and Ninth Corps and the running of the gallery for the mine made good progress yesterday notwithstanding the excessive heat. The engineers have established a depot at a convenient point, and are collecting gabions and other material for operations. The heavy guns will soon be put in position in front of the Fifth Corps, and an effort made to silence the fire of the batteries in the salient on the plank road. In the meantime the enemy is busily employed strengthening his line, and can be seen preparing another one in rear of the one now occupied. GEO. G. MEADE, Major-General, Commanding. General HUMPHREYS: CITY POINT, July 13, 1864-2.30 p. m. It is reported from Washington that Longstreet's corps is moving down the Valley. Inquire of Babcock to examine deserters and ascertain all he can that is positive about Longstreet's corps, and send it to Colonel Comstock. A dispatch from Washington announces the destruction of the Gunpowder bridge on the Philadelphia railroad, the capture of two trains with General Franklin, and that the enemy are in front of Washington on the north side. GEO. G. MEADE, HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, Lieutenant-Colonel COMSTOCK, Aide-de-Camp, City Point: July 13, 18614—4.45 p. m. I send you a note from Mr. Babcock, containing a copy of a statement from the provost-marshal-general's department, forwarded on the 11th July at 11.45 p. m.* The deserters from Finegan's brigade, on the left of Hill's corps, that came in this morning, stated that Longstreet's |