HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF WEST VIRGINIA, Brig. Gen. J. C. SULLIVAN, Commanding First Infantry Division: GENERAL: The commanding general directs that hereafter your command shall march with the First Brigade in front, and the regiments of each brigade arranged in proper order according to rank of commanding officers. The regiments will not take turns in leading the column, but will march in the same order habitually. A different regiment, however, will be detailed each day as a rear guard. The proper intervals will be preserved between brigades and regiments. Particular care will be taken to prevent straggling, and no men will be allowed to fall to the rear of their regiments unless by written permission of the regimental surgeon. You will hold the commanding officers of regiments strictly responsible that this order is carried out. You will send to these headquarters a list of the regiments in your command in the order in which they will be arranged in column. I am, general, most respectfully, your obedient servant, [CHAS. G. HALPINE,] Assistant Adjutant-General. HDQRS. FIRST BRIGADE, SECOND CAVALRY DIVISION, Capt. WILL RUMSEY, Assistant Adjutant-General, Second Cavalry Division: SIR: I have the honor to report the number of men barefooted in my brigade as follows: Second Regiment West Virginia Cavalry, 188 men; Thirty-fourth Regiment Ohio Mounted Infantry, 190 men. I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, A. N. DUFFIE, Brigadier-General of Volunteers, Commanding. CUMBERLAND, June 1, 1864. Maj. T. A. MEYSENBURG, Assistant Adjutant-General, Martinsburg: A squad of McNeill's men flanked our pickets at Greenland Gap, and worked their way through the mountains to the line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad near Wilson's Store, a siding and stopping place for the mail trains between Swanton and Altamont, where they had concealed their horses and most of the men in the mountains near by. Their intention unquestionably was to capture and rob the trains last night. Information was telegraphed me yesterday by the roadmaster in regard to these parties. I ordered Colonel Wilkinson to dispatch Captain Faris with his company from New Creek by rail at once.. He arrived there about 3 p. m., and has captured 6 of the party with 10 horses with equipments, &c. I have also ordered scouts from New Creek and Greenland Gap to cut off the retreat of the balance of the party. Captain Faris is pursuing. B. F. KELLEY, Brigadier-General WEBER: MARTINSBURG, June 1, 1864. How long will it take to relieve the First Maryland by the Ohio regiment at Harper's Ferry? The general commanding wishes to know. T. A. MEYSENBURG, Assistant Adjutant-General. HEADQUARTERS, Maj. T. A. MEYSENBURG, Harper's Ferry, June 1, 1864. Assistant Adjutant-General, Martinsburg : It will take two days to relieve the First Maryland by the Ohio militia, and the last are very green. MAX WEBER, Colonel WILKINSON, New Creek: Brigadier-General. CUMBERLAND, June 1, 1864. Two men were at my farm yesterday that came from South Branch Valley; passed Fort Pendleton, and were not halted; saw no picket; saw soldiers fishing, but were not halted. Write to Godwin at once and order him to stop all travel past that post; to blockade the roads and paths thoroughly. Say to him if he does not attend to his duty better I will have him dismissed the service. Colonel WILKINSON, New Creek: B. F. KELLEY, CUMBERLAND, June 1, 1864. Yes, go up and see Godwin, and tell him what he will catch if he don't do his duty better. Call and see Mrs. Sullivan as you go or return; it is not out of your way. B. F. KELLEY, Report to me by letter to-night who the parties captured by Captain Faris are, together with all particulars connected with their arrest and movements, &c. B. F. KELLEY. OFFICE OF THE CHIEF SIGNAL OFFICER, DEPARTMENT OF WASHINGTON, 22D ARMY CORPS, Washington, D. C., June 1, 1864. Capt. H. S. TAFFT, Signal Officer, U. S. Army: I have the honor to make the following report of the operations of this detachment for the month of May, 1864: The 1st of the month there were only four stations in operation. These were located as follows: Station No. 1 at provost-marshal's building, corner of Nineteenth and I streets, in charge of Sergt. John C. Hudgen. No. 2 at Fort C. F. Smith, Va., in charge of Lieut. John C. Abbott. No. 3 at Battery Parrott, D. C., in charge of Sergt. Alonzo V. Richards, and No. 4 at Fort Ethan Allen, Va., in charge of Sergt. J. Willard Brown. These stations had no official messages to communicate, but were kept practicing daily at least three hours. On the 6th I sent a communication to the assistant adjutant-general, Department of Washington, in compliance with circular from office signal officer, asking that Second Lieuts. Charles H. Boone and Charles E. Duffield, of the Second Pennsylvania Artillery, and Second Lieuts. Edgar H. Wilsey and Edgar S. Moss, of the Seventh New York Artillery, be detailed for duty in the signal corps in this department. May 11 Edgar S. Moss and Edgar H. Wilsey, second lieutenants in the Seventh New York Artillery, reported. Same date received notice that Second Lieuts. Charles H. Boone and Charles E. Duffield, Second Pennsylvania Artillery, could not be spared from their regiments, and requesting that the names of other officers be sent in. I immediately began instructing Lieutenants Wilsey and Moss in the code. They were progressing finely when I received an order from department headquarters relieving them from duty in the signal corps, and ordering them to join their regiment at once, it having been ordered to the front. All the regiments having been ordered to the front from this department, I made no further effort to get officers detailed into the corps. On the morning of May 12 Lieut. Frederick S. Benson and Lieut. E. H. Wardwell, acting signal officers, together with Acting Second Lieut. William Wallace and fifteen enlisted men, reported to me. from signal camp, Georgetown, D. C. Lieutenant Benson was ordered to report to General De Russy and establish a station at Fort Tillinghast, Va., and open communication with Fort Smith, provost-marshal's station, and, if possible, with Lieutenant Walface, who was sent to Fort Lyon, Va. Lieutenant Wardwell was ordered to Fort Reno to communicate with Forts Ethan Allen and Sumner. Sergt. A. V. Richards was ordered to proceed to Fort Sumner, D. C., and open communication with Lieutenant Wardwell at Fort Reno and Sergeant Brown at Fort Ethan Allen. It being very rainy, communication was not established that day, but the next morning I was informed that communication had been opened between Forts Sumner, Reno, and Ethan Allen. May 14 communication was opened between Forts Lyon and Tillinghast, and also between the latter fort and headquarters station. The line is in good working order. The officers are required to practice at least three hours each day, and to send a report of practice and official duty to these headquarters weekly. The lines are sending some official messages now, and the number of such is slowly increasing. During the month twenty-eight official messages have been sent, signed by General Augur, General De Russy, General Ramsay, Colonel Haskin, Colonel Morris, and others. I have kept the line practicing in repeating messages for most of the month, and they are improving rapidly. A message can now be sent through the entire line almost as soon as in the usual way it could be sent from one station to another. The detachment is in perfect health, and there is no doubt but that its work will be appreciated by the officers in command in this department. I have the honor to-be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, WM. B. ROE, Captain and Chief Signal Officer, Dept. of Washington. SPECIAL ORDERS,) HDQRS. HASKIN'S DIV., 22D ARMY CORPS, No. 61. June 2, 1864. 1. Battery G, Third U. S. Artillery, First Lieutenant Pendleton commanding, having reported for duty at these headquarters, is hereby assigned to Fort Bunker Hill, and will report without delay, to Colonel Hayward, at that post. 2. Colonel Hayward, commanding First Brigade, will direct one company of the One hundred and fiftieth Ohio National Guard to move without delay from Fort Bunker Hill to Fort Lincoln. Battery G, Third U. S. Artillery, will relieve the company sent to Fort Lincoln. By order of Colonel Haskin: R. CHANDLER, Assistant Adjutant-General. EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA, Major-General HUNTER, Wheeling, June 2, 1864. Commanding Department of West Virginia: GENERAL: The counties between the Great Kanawha and Big Sandy Rivers, in the southern part of the State, have been infested with large bodies of guerrillas from the beginning of the rebellion, but the loyal people have had some little protection from U. S. soldiers stationed in those counties by order of the several commanders of the department. With what protection there has been it has been difficult to keep up county organization for the execution of civil law, even in counties immediately on the Ohio River, yet in these counties the courts have been held (irregularly) and some taxes collected. In the back counties (toward the mountains) there has been no civil organization for three years. There are gentlemen here now from Cabell County, who bid for protection, if it be possible, so that they can remain at their homes in safety. They inform me that the troops which have been stationed in their county, and who have given some protection to the loyal people of the counties of Cabell and Wayne, have been withdrawn within a few days past, and that they are now left to the mercy of the guerrillas. They further state that in these counties there are from 300 to 400 guerrillas, under the command of three rebel captains, who are robbing the people of their property, and capturing and carrying off some of the loyal citizens, and are imprisoning and otherwise maltreating them. On the 17th of May Mr. John Adams, whom I heretofore had employed enrolling the militia, was captured and carried off, and has been either killed or imprisoned, probably the latter. This was done because he had dared to hold an office under the State government. Under these circumstances, I request, if possible with the force under your command, that you give orders for the occupation of the region of country spoken of, by such numbers of troops as may give the loyal people protection and safety for their persons and property. If Major Witcher, of the Third Regiment West Virginia Cavalry, could be placed in command it would give great satisfaction. Very respectfully, A. I. BOREMAN, Governor. Col. T. M. HARRIS, Beverly: CUMBERLAND, June 2, 1864. Your letters of recent date, both received, giving me your views, for which I am much obliged. I think, however, for the present you had better hold your position with your command, but send strong scouts to the front and keep the country well scouted. I am much pleased with your late operations. I sent a cavalry scout to the mouth of Seneca and Franklin, also to Moorefield and Wardensville; will advise you of result. Send the cattle captured to Clarksburg and turn them over to assistant quartermaster at that post, to be sold. The news from Grant is most cheering. B. F. KELLEY, HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF WEST VIRGINIA, Lieut. Col. C. G. HALPINE, Asst. Adjt. Gen., Department of West Virginia: COLONEL: I forward you General Crook's report* (with those of subordinate commands) of his recent operations; also letter of recommendation, asking for promotion of certain field officers of his command. As the train leaves early in the morning, I have not the time or clerical force to record or copy all the papers, and hence I send them as received. I am embarrassed in the matter of returns. To-day I eceived from General Crook tri-monthly returns for the 15th May (none for 5th), of the Second Infantry Division, but, strangely enough, the general fails to send one of any date of the Second Cavalry Division, General Averell's command. By order of General Sigel, General C. had, and I presume has, control over both divisions operating together, and it was expected that both would be reported together; or at least that copy of General Averell's report would be forwarded with that of the Second Infantry Division. On April 26, 1864, the Second Cavalry Division was organized, General Averell retained a portion of his old command, and that in addition assigned to him General Duffie's brigade, and a new regiment, the Eighth Ohio Cavalry. The regiments not assigned to him of his old command are now reported by Major-General Stahel, com manding First Cavalry Division. No return from General Averell has been received since the one for April 15. Under these circum *See p. 9. |