Colonel WEST: MARCH 12, 1864. Request Colonel Onderdonk to make immediate report to me of the service of his regiment and the Eleventh Pennsylvania Cavalry in the late expedition. Their good conduct, as contrasted with some other troops, entities them to special mention in my report. I. J. WISTAR, Brigadier-General. HDQRS. ARMY AND DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA, Maj. Gen. B. F. BUTLER, Comdg. Dept. Virginia and North Carolina, Fort Monroe: GENERAL: A Mr. Miller, whose wife is in Kinston, left here about the 25th February, and has just come in with information that is entirely reliable. He states that some 400 men were put at work on the gun-boat by Pickett on his return, with instructions to complete her as soon as possible, and before the 14th (anniversary of the fall of New Berne). The boat is virtually done, and two additional guns for her arrived last Tuesday, making four in all. He was at the blockade, and it has been all removed and the channel staked out. He says Pickett fully intends to give us a hard one, cutting the railway and placing batteries on the river below. The raid of Kilpatrick and the move of the Army of the Potomac broke up his plans, or postponed them for the present. Some of his troops were called to Virginia. He thinks they have great faith in the ram and fully intend an attack when there is a freshet. I shall send this man up again before many weeks. Your communication of the 9th has just reached me by Lieutenant Carpenter and the Farrow, with papers, for which I am obliged. I had hoped a sufficient force might be sent here to enable me to take the offensive, and give the State a chance to break away from the rotten Confederacy, when the people would rally around the army of deliverance and the Union. This hope is long deferred, I fear. My arrangements are such that I shall be glad to have Pickett attack here with any reasonable amount of force. He will meet such a resistance as he has not dreamed of in his philosophy. "Unceasing vigilance is the price of liberty," and I keep all at work in appropriate spheres. So far as respects the ram in the Neuse, I do not feel apprehensive, since the obstructions have been completed. I have built a new work on the right of my line, where it intersects the river, and have a 100-pounder gun (rifled) in position, which I brought from Macon. Should the gun-boats give way at that position, our line is now secure. With great satisfaction I notice your assurance of sending veterans here in order that these may go on furlough. I have the honor to be, with great respect, your obedient servant, JOHN J. PECK, Major-General. HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, Major-General PLEASONTON, Commanding Cavalry Corps: The major-general commanding considers it probable that the communication by flag of truce yesterday to Colonel Gibbs was unauthorized by General Ewell, and directs that a minute report be made by Colonel Gibbs of everything that occurred in the meeting of the bearer of the flag of truce, what was said by Colonel Terrill, whether his appearance indicated him to be an officer of the rank he claimed to have, where the flag of truce crossed the Rapidan, where it crossed our picket-line, &c.; in short, everything to enable the commanding general to judge of the genuineness of the flag of truce. Very respectfully, &c., A. A. HUMPHREYS, Major-General and Chief of Staff. HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY, Memoranda for Major-General Augur, commanding Department of Washington: First. Colonel Whistler, in command of Forts Haggerty, Corcoran, Strong, and C. F. Smith, is reported as inefficient. He should be replaced by a more vigilant officer, and sent to his regiment. Second. A detachment of cavalry is required in the vicinity of Chain Bridge for scouting, &c. Third. Twenty days' surplus rations should be kept in forts at Chain Bridge and below Hunting Creek; ten days' rations in the others. Fourth. Garrisons to be turned out to obstruct such roads as engineers may decide not to be necessary for travel, which should be confined to main roads. Fifth. Artillery practice should commence. H. W. HALLECK, HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY, Memoranda for General J. G. Barnard, chief engineer Defenses of Washington: First. Stockades to be immediately built on roads leading to Aqueduct, Chain, and Long Bridges. Second. Road to be built connecting Forts Strong and C. F. Smith. Third. All wood roads leading to the exterior not required for travel to be obstructed so as to confine travel through the lines to the main roads. Fourth. Magazine in Fort Strong defective; to be repaired or a new one built. Fifth. A well to be dug in Fort C. F. Smith; the engineers will locate it and the quartermaster will construct it. The items reported on recent inspection of defenses, the Secretary of War directs that they be immediately attended to. 43 R R-VOL XXXIII H. W. HALLECK, Chief of Staff. CUMBERLAND, March 13, 1864. Brigadier-General AVERELL: Yes; you may come. F. SIGEL, HDQRS. FOURTH DIV., DEPT. OF WEST VIRGINIA, Brigadier-General AVERELL, Cumberland: Scouting parties all in. Everything quiet in front. LOUIS A. MYERS, HDQRS. FOURTH DIV., DEPT. OF WEST VIRGINIA, Brigadier-General AVERELL, Cumberland: Martinsburg, March 13, 1864. Gaddess, just in from Winchester, reports Gilmor with considerable force at Newtown this a. m. T. F. LANG, Major and Aide-de-Camp. OFFICE ASSISTANT QUARTERMASTER, FOURTH DIVISION, Martinsburg, W. Va., March 13, 1864. Brig. Gen. W. W. AVERELL, Commanding Fourth Division: GENERAL: I have the honor to inclose herewith a synopsis of my inspection of yesterday. I would respectfully call your attention to the following facts: The horses of the command are in a very bad condition, and this is caused purely by the negligence of the officers, whose duty it should be to care for them. The grooming generally is wretched, and, from the looks of the horses, the feeding and watering is worse. As a whole, the horses of the Fifth West Virginia were in the best condition. Those of Gibson's battalion, with the exception of Captain Smith's company, were in miserable order, and in one company, that of Captain Hagans, the only inference I can draw from the looks of the horses is that they have never been fed, watered, or groomed but in the most loose and reckless manner. The stables of the whole battalion were in the most filthy condition. The horses of Captain Ewing's battery looked well, but there also I noticed a lack of proper grooming. The horses of the Fourteenth Pennsylvania were tolerable, but I noticed a most lamentable ignorance in many officers as regarded the condition of their companies; indeed, throughout the day I found sergeants and even corporals called upon for reports with which captains of companies should at. all times have been perfectly conversant. The horses of the Eighth West Virginia had in many cases but just returned from water or picket duty and were very muddy; however, the same fault of too little grooming was observable. I desire J to compliment Captain Smith, of Gibson's battalion; his horses were I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, FORT MONROE, VA., March 13, 1864. P. H. WATSON, Assistant Secretary of War: I need very much 1,000 revolvers for my cavalry. May I rely upon your good offices to exert yourself to get them for me? The cavalry are actually in the field, and need them much, and but a small portion of them now have pistols. My requisition was refused because it was said that cavalry did not need two kinds of fire-arms. I agree to that. What I am trying now to get is one kind. CIRCULAR.] B. F. BUTLER, ARTILLERY HDQRS., ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, I. You will at once take the necessary steps to put your brigade in condition to take the field, and for this purpose direct requisition for the necessary number of horses and other materials to be made out. II. Should you consider it advisable, the number of horses in a sixgun battery may be carried up to 116, and for a four-gun battery 88, but the number of spare horses should not be carried beyond the possible wants, as the supplies for the number we have are limited. III. The ammunition should, so far as practicable, be made to conform to the proportions directed in General Orders, No. 5, of 1863, from these headquarters, viz, 12 to 16 solid shot, 12 to 8 shrapnel, 4 shell, 4 canister to each chest for 12-pounders; 25 to 30 shell, 20 to 15 shrapnel, 5 canister to each chest for rifle guns. IV. Care should be also taken that both Hotchkiss and Schenkl shell, or Hotchkiss and Schenkl shrapnel, should not be used in the same battery. Where such mixtures have taken place the batteries should exchange with each other and with the train, and reduce so far as possible the kind of ammunition which they do not habitually use. There is scarcely any occasion on which the percussion-fuse is not superior to the time-fuse shell. It would be a good rule to use only the percussion. Every effort is now being made to provide a concussion shell for the light 12-pounder to supersede the time-fuse. V. When requisitions are hereafter made for one kind of ammu nition another kind will not be received until it is ascertained that the Artillery Reserve train cannot furnish it, nor even then, except in very urgent cases, will a different kind of ammunition be received than that asked for. VI. By a circular from these headquarters, dated December 17, 1863, paragraph I, you were notified that a supply of new canister for light 12-pounders had been ordered (72 3-ounce balls to the canister), and you were requested to make requisition for it at a rate not to exceed 10 rounds per gun. Will you please state in your report of your train if such canister has been received, and call special attention to it with a view of obtaining a report as to its efficiency in our next battles ? VII. When proper ground can be found in the vicinity of a corps, a course of target practice should be entered upon, of which careful records should be kept and a copy sent to these headquarters. (See Article XI, page 16, Revised Regulations.) In this practice batteries should use only the kind of ammunition they use in battle. Application must be made to the chief of artillery for permission to practice, stating the day and hour at which it is to commence, in order that notice may be given to the other corps and to prevent alarm. VIII. The trains will be immediately inspected, and a report of their condition and that of the ammunition made to the chief of artillery, in order, if there are deficiencies, that steps be taken to supply them. two The allowance of wagons is as follows: Brigade headquarters, wagons; brigade medical department, one wagon; brigade transportation of subsistence for sales to officers, one wagon; each fourgun battery, four wagons; each six-gun battery, five wagons; to every twenty-five ammunition wagons, five additional ones for transportation of forage for the teams. By command of Brigadier-General Hunt: JNO. N. CRAIG, Assistant Adjutant-General. (To chiefs of corps artillery, artillery reserve, and horse brigades.) HEADQUARTERS FIFTH ARMY CORPS, Brigadier-General BARTLETT, Commanding First Division: March 14, 1864. GENERAL: The major-general commanding directs that you cause a picket to be thrown out on the Bealeton and Morrisville road, and to take a position that will command a good view of the country in that direction, the strength of the picket to consist of 1 non-commissioned officer and 9 men. They will be relieved daily. The major-general commanding directs me to say further that he wants the pickets of your Third Brigade to exercise the utmost vigilance in |