keeping people from passing through our lines. He desires the orders of the major-general commanding the Army of the Potomac to be strictly carried out and the integrity of the picket-line sustained. I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, FRED. T. LOCKE, Assistant Adjutant-General. General WARREN : STONY MOUNTAIN SIGNAL STATION, A working party of 30 or 40 of the enemy have been employed today constructing a work on the river near Raccoon Ford. All quiet. TAYLOR, Captain and Signal Officer. Capt. W. M. BOONE, MARTINSBURG, March 14, 1864. Assistant Adjutant-General, Harper's Ferry: An escaped prisoner reports having seen 28 of Gilmor's men at Newtown last night, together with several squads of footmen. The cavalry came up the Berryville pike. Citizens say the infantry intend to work round our picket fires to-night and meet Gilmor and make an attack somewhere; he could not learn where. Reports that country full of marauding squads. GEO. D. WELLS, HARPER'S FERRY, VA., March 14, 1864. Col. GEORGE D. WELLS: Be on the alert. I have no cavalry out that will come in your direction, so that you will not allow yourself to be deceived by the approach of cavalry in Federal uniforms. J. C. SULLIVAN, HDQRS. FOURTH DIV., DEPT. OF WEST VIRGINIA, Brigadier-General SULLIVAN, Martinsburg, March 14, 1864. Harper's Ferry: An escaped prisoner from Libby prison in rebel uniform reports that he saw Gilmor with 28 mounted men and a few squads dismounted last night, 10 o'clock, above Winchester. Mounted men went toward Charlestown, dismounted westward. Says they will meet inside our lines to-night for the purpose of making a dash; stealing horses, perhaps. WM. W. AVERELL, HARPER'S FERRY, March 14, 1864. Brigadier-General AVERELL: I have information, which I do not deem reliable, that Imboden. is in the valley at Millwood. I shall soon know whether the rumor be true or not. J. C. SULLIVAN, Major-General BURNSIDE, NASHVILLE, TENN., March 14, 1864. New York: I have ordered the Ninth Army Corps from Knoxville to Annapolis and requested the Secretary of War to direct the veterans to rendezvous at that place. Please send this order to all regiments of the corps about to return to the field. U. S. GRANT, Maj. Gen. B. F. BUTLER, WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, March 14, 1864-11 a. m. Fort Monroe: Such immense numbers of cavalry are now being called into the field that it is impracticable to furnish them both pistols and carbines. Five hundred pistols will be sent to you to-day. After a few weeks the supply of cavalry arms will be increased. P. H. WATSON, Assistant Secretary of War. HDQRS. ARMY AND DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA, General I. N. PALMER, Commanding Sub-district of New Berne: GENERAL: The commanding general wishes to know what men are now in charge of Brant Island. Are they soldiers, and, if so, how many? Reliable information has been received that there is a band of about 60 guerrillas organized and now moving along the shore between Swan Quarter and Rose Bay, preparing to cross the mouth of Pamlico River in small boats and attack the island. Please answer as soon as possible. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Major-General WARREN : STONY MOUNTAIN SIGNAL STATION, All quiet. Working party of the enemy engaged this a. m. on work near Raccoon Ford, as reported yesterday. General WARREN : TAYLOR, Captain and Signal Officer. STONY MOUNTAIN SIGNAL STATION, March 15, 1864-5 p. m. Enemy still working near Raccoon Ford. All quiet. TAYLOR, Captain and Signal Officer. III. Brigadier-General Averell, commanding Fourth Division, will immediately take command of all the cavalry forces now attached to his own division and that of Brigadier-General Sullivan, and organize and use them according to his discretion. He will make the necessary detail for the division of General Sullivan. The infantry now attached to Brigadier-General Averell's division will be disposed of by further orders from these headquarters. By special orders transmitted by telegraph you are assigned to the command of all the cavalry forces of the First and Fourth Divisions. You will also act as commander of cavalry outposts for the two divisions, and establish your line as you think proper. Inform General Sullivan well of your dispositions and the movements of the enemy according to latest information. It is necessary for you to select your best cavalry from what you have to find out immediately what the enemy is doing in our front. In case of emergency you will not allow your cavalry to be separated from the line to Williamsport or Cumberland. Report frequently to me. Brigadier-General AVERELL: F. SIGEL, HARPER'S FERRY, March 15, 1864. I have no further information. All quiet. J. C. SULLIVAN, Brigadier-General. HDQRS. FOURTH DIV., DEPT. OF WEST VIRGINIA, Maj. Gen. F. SIGEL, Commanding Department, Cumberland: Three scouting parties have been sent out to-day, one to Bloomery Gap, to return via Pughtown and Mills' Gap; another to Pughtown and 10 miles beyond, to return via Winchester, and one to Smithfield, Bunker Hill, &c. No news since morning. WM. W. AVERELL, I send Captain Rumsey to-night to you with information and papers. WM. W. AVERELL, Brigadier-General. HDQRS. FOURTH DIV., DEPT. OF WEST VIRGINIA, Brigadier-General SULLIVAN, Martinsburg, March 15, 1864. Commanding, Harper's Ferry: From department headquarters, Special Orders, No. 49, places me in command of the cavalry of the First and Fourth Divisions. Will you please inform me what cavalry you have and where it is? Will you also please inform me by letter what duties have ordinarily been devolved upon our cavalry, and your views as to positions, pickets, and the enemy, recent and probable operations in future? WM. W. AVERELL, Brigadier-General. Please give me your latest information from up the valley. Brigadier-General. Brigadier-General SULLIVAN, CUMBERLAND, March 15, 1864. Harper's Ferry: Your telegram of this evening, referring to probable movement of the enemy, received. The general commanding requests that you communicate this and other information of similar character received by you to Brigadier-General Averell, at Martinsburg, as well as to these headquarters. By order of Maj. Gen. F. Sigel : T. MELVIN, Assistant Adjutant-General. GENERAL ORDERS, No. 11. I. Whereas by an act of Congress approved July 17, 1862, the President of the United States was authorized to receive into the service of the United States for any military or naval service for which they may be found competent persons of African descent; and whereas by an act of Congress approved March 3, 1863, all ablebodied male citizens of the United States, between the ages of twenty and forty-five years, are declared to constitute the national forces, and shall be liable to perform military duty when called upon by the President; therefore, all colored men, slaves or otherwise, in this department come within this act. Col. S. M. Bowman, chief mustering and recruiting officer for colored troops in Maryland, is authorized to enlist all such in the service of the United States; and for this purpose he is directed to send a recruiting officer, accompanied by a surgeon, to jails, slave-pens, or other places of confinement, who shall be authorized to enlist all colored men found in these places, if passed by the surgeon, upon their signifying their willingness so to enlist, provided that none so enlisted are held under criminal process. And any one who shall refuse to give access to such recruiting officer, or who shall throw obstacles in the way of the execution of this order, will be reported to these headquarters, and such offender will be held responsible for interfering with enlistments and dealt with accordingly. By order of Brig. Gen. H. H. Lockwood: WM. H. CHESEBROUGH, Lieutenant-Colonel and Assistant Adjutant-General. SPECIAL ORDERS, WAR DEPT., ADJT. GENERAL'S OFFICE, Washington, March 15, 1864. No. 118. 55. On the expiration of their furloughs, all veteran troops of the Ninth Army Corps, Major-General Burnside, U. S. Volunteers, commanding, will be sent to the depot for the Ninth Corps at Annapolis, Md. Superintendents of recruiting service for States which are represented in the Ninth Corps are charged with the prompt execution of this order. HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, March 16, 1864-10 p. m. (Received 11 p. m.) Major-General HALLECK: The following intelligence received from scouts just returned is sent for your information: The enemy are making large preparations for the capture of Norfolk. Heavy details are made from Pickett's division to work on the gun-boats now building at Richmond. The work is pushed night and day, and it is expected three gun-boats will be finished in three or four weeks. They are also building floats or rafts to carry guns to move down the James River with their fleet. Longstreet is to have command on the Blackwater for the main attack on Norfolk. His whole command is expected at Petersburg. His force estimated at 15,000. Pontoons have been sent from Richmond to Petersburg. A feint will be made on Williamsburg with a force of 3,000 infantry, with some cavalry and artillery, and for this purpose Ford's Bridge over the Chickahominy is being rebuilt. * *Substance of this paragraph telegraphed to Augur, same date. Repeated to Grant by Halleck, March 17. |