him from my staff, as he is familiar with all the work in progress and in contemplation, and is a disbursing officer. I believe that the interests of the service require a regular engineer officer to take his place. F. SIGEL, Major-General. GENERAL ORDERS, HDQRS. DEPT. OF WEST VIRGINIA, I. Commanders of divisions and separate brigades within this department will send to these headquarters, at least once each day, a telegraphic report stating whether any, and, if any, what information has been received in regard to the enemy, and whether any, and, if any, what changes have been made in the position of their troops. II. The following officers are announced as assigned to staff duty at these headquarters: Lieut. Col. W. C. Starr, Ninth West Virginia Infantry, acting provost-marshal-general of the department. Maj. J. C. Campbell, judge-advocate. Capt. P. G. Bier, U. S. Volunteers, assistant adjutant-general. Capt. John Carlin, First West Virginia Artillery, chief of artillery and acting chief of ordnance. Capt. F. E. Town, Signal Corps, chief signal officer. Capt. Thomas G. Putnam, Fifteenth New York Cavalry, and Capt. R. Adams, jr., Twenty-third Illinois Infantry, aides-de-camp. By order of Major-General Sigel : T. MELVIN, Assistant Adjutant-General. II. The division commanded by Brig. Gen. J. C. Sullivan, U. S. Volunteers, hereby designated as the First Infantry Division of this department, will be organized as follows: Col. A. Moor, Twenty-eighth Ohio Infantry, at Beverly, will organize the following regiments into a provisional brigade, to be known as the First: Twenty-eighth Ohio Infantry, Tenth West Virginia Infantry, Eleventh West Virginia Infantry, Third Pennsylvania Reserves, Fourth Pennsylvania Reserves. Col. J. Thoburn, First West Virginia Infantry, will take command of and form into a provisional brigade, to be known as the Second, the following regiments: First West Virginia Infantry, Twelfth West Virginia Infantry, Fourteenth West Virginia Infantry, Fifteenth West Virginia Infantry. The commanders of these brigades will make requisitions for staff officers to these headquarters, so that those regularly appointed may be assigned to them. Meanwhile they will detail from their commands respectively such officers as may be found competent to discharge the duties of staff officers. In accordance with the foregoing, the two regiments under the command of Col. A. Moor are hereby detached from the Cavalry Division (formerly the Fourth Division), Department of West Virginia, and Colonel Moor will report by letter to General Sullivan at Grafton for orders. Batteries B, Fifth U. S. Artillery, and D, First West Virginia Artillery, will report for the present to General Sullivan. Battery B, First West Virginia Artillery, will remain attached to Colonel Moor's brigade until further orders. III. Brig. Gen. Max Weber having reported for duty at these headquarters, under orders of the War Department, is hereby assigned to the command of the defenses of Harper's Ferry, and of all the troops stationed there and on the railroad between Sleepy Creek and the Monocacy, formerly belonging to the First Division, commanded by Brig. Gen. J. C. Sullivan. The troops mentioned will be organized into a separate brigade, to be known as the First Separate Brigade, Department of West Virginia. GENERAL: Will you please send me the Fifth and Seventh Virginia Regiments of Cavalry instead of the Twentieth Pennsylvania Cavalry? Please send them at once. Respectfully, General W. W. AVERELL : GENERAL: I arrived in Winchester early this morning; no enemy in this place. After the skirmish took place yesterday the rebels fell back through the town on the Strasburg pike; made no halt. I will go to Newtown. The number, according to the best information I can get, was about 100 men, under command of Major Calmese and Captain Ross. Very respectfully, F. G. MARTINDALE, Captain, First New York Cavalry. HEADQUARTERS THIRD BRIGADE CAVALRY, Col. F. E. FRANKLIN, Charleston, W. Va., April 9, 1864. Comdg. Thirty-fourth Regt. Mounted Ohio Vol. Inf.: SIR: You will please order one squadron from your command, of not less than 100 men, to proceed to Barboursville or into Cabell 53 R R-VOL XXXIII and Putnam Counties, in pursuit of a party of rebels reported to be in that vicinity. They will be provided with three days rations and forage. They will be ready and will report at division headquarters at 5 a. m. to-morrow. The captain commanding will immediately report to these headquarters for instructions. By order of Brig. Gen. A. N. Duffié : E. W. CLARK, JR., Acting Assistant Adjutant-General. ANNAPOLIS, MD., April 9, 1864. Culpeper: Lieutenant-General GRANT, Dispatch received. Have given necessary orders. Go north tonight to hurry up new regiments. Will be here Thursday. or earlier if you desire. A telegram sent here will follow me promptly. A. E. BURNSIDE. FLAG-SHIP NORTH ATLANTIC BLOCKADING SQUADRON, Maj. Gen. B. F. BUTLER, Off Newport News, Va., April 9, 1864. Comdg. Department of Virginia and North Carolina: GENERAL: The vicinity of Smithfield and Chuckatuck are known to be infested by guerrillas, who are reported to have boats concealed up those creeks and their tributaries. You are aware that the rebels have an organized system of boat expeditions all along the coast, operating at one time from creeks in Mathews and Gloucester Counties against the Eastern Shore counties, Cape Charles lighthouse, &c.; at another time against the gun-boat Underwriter at New Berne, and now against this ship here. In all these cases they harbor in the vicinity of their operations. This was explained by your prisoner, Acting Master Webb, of the rebel Navy, captured while thus engaged in the Neck counties near Yorktown, where, as in the vicinity of Smithfield, &c., the small creeks are numerous and not accessible to our gun-boats. It is believed that the little torpedo-boat which struck this vessel last night, happily without accomplishing its object, came out of Pagan and Chuckatuck Creeks or their tributaries. I respectfully suggest that you send at once a sufficient force to capture these rebels and destroy their boats on the upper creeks and to co-operate with a naval force to prevent their escape by the river, which I will send as soon as you are ready. I have the honor to be, general, very respectfully, yours, S. P. LEE, Acting Rear-Admiral, Comdg. N. A. B. Squadron. GARNETT'S MOUNTAIN, April 10, 1864-10 a. m. Captain NORTON : No change in enemy's camps. Rapidan and Robertson Rivers very high. Half of railroad bridge on this side gone. FULLER, Lieutenant. April 10, 1864. HEADQUARTERS CAVALRY CORPS, Major-General HUMPHREYS, Chief of Staff, Army of the Potomac : General Merritt reports 7 deserters having come in to his lines yesterday; 5 of them are conscripts, and 2 deserters from Alabama regiments. A large number of conscripts are reported in Blue Ridge. Report of destruction of Fredericksburg is denied. P. H. SHERIDAN, Major-General. HEADQUARTERS CAVALRY CORPS, Major-General HUMPHREYS, Chief of Staff, Army of the Potomac: April 10, 1864. I have the honor to forward you a copy of dispatch just received from General Kilpatrick, for what it is worth: STEVENSBURG, April 10, 1864. Colonel SMITH, Chief of Staff, Cavalry Corps: Citizens inform my officer in command of outposts at Grove Church that all rebel troops on that side of the river have been ordered back. They give as a reason, anticipated movements. J. KILPATRICK, P. H. SHERIDAN, HEADQUARTERS CAVALRY CORPS, April 10, 1864. Brigadier-General GREGG, Warrenton: General Meade has ordered all cavalrymen now on duty with infantry commanders to report to their regiments. There is also a fair prospect of the regiments now on the railroad being ordered back to you. The detachment of 100 men at Bealeton you have been directed to call in. P. H. SHERIDAN, Major-General, Commanding. BEALETON, April 10, 1864. Brigadier-General KILPATRICK, Commanding Third Division Cavalry: Have reached here all right. Lost some men in crossing Mountain Run. Captain Judson was at this point to-day for forage; had no news from Morrisville. The command from Second Division has just passed-6.15 p. m. E. W. WHITAKER, FAIRFAX COURT-HOUSE, April 10, 1864. Lieut. Col. J. H. TAYLOR, Assistant Adjutant-General: I have the honor to report all quiet. The scouting party of 50 men sent out from Vienna yesterday have returned, bringing with them 9 prisoners, 3 of whom are citizens and the remainder rebel soldiers, 8 horses and 5 horse equipments. They were unable to find Mark Roderick, referred to in your telegram. Another attempt will be made to cause his arrest at an early date. Notices were left at the houses of Messrs. Carver and Gardner, which they will probably receive in a few days. No mail has reached these headquarters today. It is rumored that some bridges between Alexandria and Fairfax Station have been carried away by the storms of yesterday. R. O. TYLER, Brigadier-General, Commanding. Lieut. Gen. U. S. GRANT, CUMBERLAND, MD., April 10, 1864. Culpeper: Your dispatch in regard to Lieutenant Meigs received. He is just now in Baltimore to make arrangements for some engineer work, but is expected to be back to-morrow. I will send him to you at such time as you want him to report. I will make application for another engineer officer, as there is no officer here whom I can detail. I have sent written report and map to Washington on the evening of the 9th instant. I could not telegraph sooner because the wires were down. F. SIGEL, Major-General, Commanding. Major-General SIGEL, MARTINSBURG, April 10, 1864. Commanding: (Received Cumberland, 4.05 p. m.) The skirmish at Winchester was between two companies of rebels and 150 men of the Sixth and Seventh Virginia and Fourteenth Pennsylvania, under Major Hunter. The enemy was first driven out of the town a mile, when the attack was abandoned by Major Hunter and our men brought back to this side of the town, where the criminal carelessness of the commander exposed them to an attack which was a surprise. The enemy was pursued yesterday across Cedar Creek, but the sudden rise from the recent heavy rain made it impracticable to go farther after them. Major Hunter lost 27 men prisoners. Will send full report to-morrow. Major Hunter has been arrested. |