HEADQUARTERS TRANS-MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT,
Shreveport, March 6, 1865.

General S. COOPER,

Adjutant and Inspector General:

SIR: I have the honor to recommend the promotion of Maj. Gen. John B. Magruder to the grade of lieutenant-general in the Provisional Army of the Confederate States, and respectfully request that it may be brought to the favorable notice of the President for his action. General Magruder commands a corps consisting of one division of four brigades Arkansas infantry, one division of two brigades Missouri infantry, one division of two brigades Missouri cavalry, numbering from 12,000 to 15,000 effective men. General Magruder merits reward for his recapture of Galveston before I was assigned to the command of the department and for the successful military administration of his district. I will make no recommendation in regard to the date from which this promotion should take effect. The President must judge whether it should go back to the recapture of Galveston or whether it should be made subsequent to that of Lieut. Gen. S. B. Buckner. Respectfully, your obedient servant, E. KIRBY SMITH,

General.

GENERAL ORDERS, HDQRS. TRANS-MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT,
No. 18.

A bureau of the Engineer Department is hereby established, and until further orders will be located at Shreveport, La. All papers, reports, &c., required by regulations to be sent to Richmond will be forwarded to the chief of bureau, Trans-Mississippi Department. Lieut. Col. H. T. Douglas is announced as chief of engineer bureau. He will continue to discharge the duties of chief engineer. By command of General E. Kirby Smith:

S. S. ANDERSON, Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS TRANS-MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT,

Shreveport, La., March 7, 1865.

His Excellency President JEFFERSON DAVIS,

President of the Confederate States, Richmond, Va.:

I desire employing my whole force in co-operation with the armies east of the Mississippi. Two movements can be undertaken: an invasion of Missouri or a march across the Mississippi. Both are physically diffi cult; their successful execution is uncertain; near 400 miles of destitution separates us from Missouri. The Mississippi, carefully guarded by iron-clads, with at least 200 miles of exhaustion, separates [us] from supplies in Mississippi. If crossing is effected it will be without transportation or artillery. I desire strictly to carry out the wishes of the Executive, and ask instructions from War Department as to which movement shall be made. Neither can be undertaken before June, or possibly July. I will push preparations for both, awaiting instructions. My effective strength in department is 19,000 enlisted men of infantry and artillery; 17,000 enlisted men of cavalry, of which seventeen regiments (6,000 enlisted men) are being dismounted; in addition 4,000

under flag of truce. As nothing more is said of them by the commander of the outpost it is presumed that they did not ascend, but passed out of the river. He has been directed to forward more specific_information. From Franklin to Berwick Bay all quiet along the Teche on the 5th instant, but the corporal commanding guard of three men on board of schooner Malta (mistook vessel) report that a Federal (armed) transport entered Vermillion Bayou last Friday, 3d instant, captured and safely carried off the schooner and tug. The corporal states that he made every effort in his power to burn or sink the vessel before she fell into the hands of the Federals. Sergt. J. B. Hébert, Second Louisiana Cavalry, acting scout, was attacked a few days ago by a party of four Federals, cavalry, on La Fourche. He killed one, wounded another, drove off the rest, and brought the horse, arms, and equipments of the killed man. They are creoles from La Fourche.

Very respectfully,

J. L. BRENT, Brigadier-General, Commanding.

GENERAL ORDERS, HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF ARKANSAS,

No. 37.

Lewisville, March 7, 1865.

I. Maj. Gen. Sterling Price having reported at these headquarters for duty is assigned to the command of the Missouri Division of Infantry, comprising Parsons' brigade and Mitchell's brigade.

II. In accordance with instructions from department headquarters, Brig. Gen. M. M. Parsons will resume command of Parsons' Missouri brigade.

III. Capt. John W. Lewis, assistant adjutant-general, is relieved
from duty at district headquarters and will report to Major-General
Price, commanding Division Missouri Infantry.
By command of Major-General Magruder:

ED. P. TURNER, Assistant Adjutant-General.

N

SPECIAL ORDERS, HDQRS. DISTRICT OF INDIAN TERRITORY,
No. 63.
Fort Towson, C. N., March 7, 1865.
I. The great scarcity of mechanics and tools outside of the army,
rendering it nearly impracticable for farmers to secure the necessary
repairs for their agricultural implements, now almost useless, and it
being very important that the planting interests of the country should
be fostered and every aid given to the producers of subsistence, not
inconsistent with other interests of the service, in their efforts to raise
as large crops as possible, all officers and agents, under the orders
of the commanding general of this district, who have control of work-
shops of any description suitable for repairing farming implements,
are hereby directed to set apart as many days in each week, not less
than one, as the exigencies of the service will permit, for repairing such
farming implements as may be brought to them by the citizens of this
Territory for that purpose. Great industry and energy are required of
officers in charge of and employés in the Government workshops, and
the necessary repairs must be executed as rapidly as possible. The
work done at these shops being gratuitous on the part of the Govern-