HEADQUARTERS SECOND CAVALRY DIVISION, Major WITCHER, Third West Virginia Cavalry : MAJOR: The general desires that you move with your regiment on the north side of the Potomac at Williamsport. You will find Captain McVicker, and direct him to picket the road to Martinsburg south of the river. You will send picket to Dam No. 5 and McCoy's Ferry. You will send patrols in the direction of Martinsburg and Hedgesville, and will make preparations to defend the line of the river as long as possible. Communicate frequently with these headquarters. The 100-days' men ordered to be sent to Columbus, Ohio, as soon as their term of service expires, will be replaced by other troops as soon as the present exigencies will permit. By order of Brevet Major-General Crook. Lieutenant GOULD, P. G. BIER, Assistant Adjutant-General. HEADQUARTERS, Cumberland, August 19, 1864. Comdg. Detach. of Sixth West Virginia Cav., North Branch : You will send a scout of forty men and one officer, via Burlington and Mechanicsburg Gap, to Romney, returning via Springfield, Frankfort, and Patterson's Creek. A report of this scout will be required, and information is desired as to why no report was made of the last scouting party ordered from these headquarters. By order of Brevet Major-General Kelley: C. A. FREEMAN, Lieutenant and Acting Assistant Adjutant-General. CUMBERLAND, August 19, 1864. Colonel STEVENSON, New Creek: I am not well enough to visit you yet. This I regret very much. I received an order last night from the assistant adjutant-general directing me to hold the 100-days' regiments till he could communicate with the commanding general in the front. You will therefore hold your command ready to move, but will await the order. B. F. KELLEY, HEADQUARTERS MIDDLE DEPARTMENT, Lieut. Col. JAMES W. FORSYTH, Chief of Staff, Middle Military Division: COLONEL: I have the honor to submit for your information a brief statement of the condition of the troops serving in this department: The First Separate Brigade, commanded by Brig. Gen. E. B. Tyler, with headquarters at the Relay House, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, is composed of four regiments of infantry, for duty about 1,800 men; First Delaware Cavalry, for duty about 190 men; one battery of artillery, for duty about 120 men. The main body of the above command is concentrated in the vicinity of the Monocacy Junction, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. A small garrison from the above is stationed at Fort Dix. General Tyler is at the Monocacy in command. The Second Separate Brigade, commanded by Bvt. Brig. Gen. W. W. Morris, U. S. Army, includes the four forts, viz, McHenry, Marshall, Federal Hill, Carroll. The entire garrison of the four forts is, one regiment of infantry, about 800 men; two companies Second U. S. Artillery (dismounted), about 75 men. A small regiment of veteran volunteer infantry is daily expected to arrive from New York for duty in the above-mentioned forts. The Third Separate Brigade, commanded by Brig. Gen. H. H. Lockwood, is composed and distributed as follows: Detachment of Veteran Reserve Corps, Second Battalion, in defenses of Baltimore and Fort Worthington, about 260 men; one regiment of infantry-four companies at Wilmington and vicinity, six companies on line Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore Railroad and Havre de Grace, guarding the bridges and depots-about 800 men (one company of this regiment is being mounted); one regiment of infantry on duty as guards on Northern Central Railroad as far as Westminster and guards to depots and hospitals, &c., in this city, about 700 men; one regiment of infantry, at present on duty guarding squads of prisoners from Point Lookout to Elmira, N. Y., and conveying squads of men to the Army of the Potomac, about 750 men; one company of cavalry on duty at Salisbury, Md., protecting telegraph to Fortress Monroe, about 90 men; detach ment Second Battalion, Veteran Reserve Corps, at hospitals at Wilmington, Del., Baltimore, and Annapolis. I send you the above statement to show you that the utmost I can do to strengthen General E. B. Tyler, commanding First Separate Brigade, who will be the most available to render you aid if needed, will be but little. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, LEW. WALLACE, Major-General, Commanding. SPECIAL ORDERS, HDQRS. MIDDLE DEPT., 8TH ARMY CORPS, Baltimore, August 19, 1864. 6. The detachment of the One hundred and forty-fourth Regiment Ohio National Guard, Maj. M. D. L. Buell commanding, attached to the Third Separate Brigade, Eighth Army Corps, will be put en route, without delay, to report to the commanding officer at Columbus, Ohio, there to be mustered out and paid off at the expiration of their term of serv ice, in accordance with the mustering regulations of the army. The quartermaster's department will furnish the necessary transportation. Brig. Gen. H. H. Lockwood is charged with the execution of this order. 7. The detachment of the One hundred and forty-ninth Regiment Ohio National Guard, Lieutenant-Colonel West commanding, now attached to the Third Separate Brigade, Eighth Army Corps, will be put en route, without delay, to report to the commanding officer at Camp Dennison, Ohio, there to be mustered out and paid off at the expiration of their term of service, in accordance with the mustering regulations of the army. The quartermaster's department will furnish the necessary transportation. Brig. Gen. H. H. Lockwood is charged with the execution of this order. * * * By command of Major-General Wallace: SAML. B. LAWRENCE, HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE SUSQUEHANNA, ADJUTANT-GENERAL U. S. ARMY, Washington, D. C.: GENERAL: I have the honor to state that General Halleck, by telegram of yesterday, directed me to forward you the inclosed copy* which was forwarded you last night by telegraph. Although my action has been disapproved by the Secretary of War, I cannot but think that had he known all of the circumstances connected with the matter, that a course similar to that misadopted by me was due to these misguided men, and would have been approved by him. They are not guilty in comparison to the leaders living in that section, who have taught them. that the draft was unconstitutional, and that in resisting it they were acting in accordance with the Constitution. On leaving Bloomsburg I particularly felicitated myself that what had threatened to be a grave difficulty had terminated without bloodshed, and to the honor and dig. nity of the General Government. I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE SUSQUEHANNA, ADJUTANT-GENERAL U. S. ARMY, Harrisburg, Pa., August 19, 1864. Washington, D. C.: GENERAL: I have the honor to inform you that, nothing preventing, my headquarters will be re-established in Chambersburg on the 22d instant. I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, D. N. COUCH, Major-General, Commanding Department. * See Couch to Adjutant-General, August 18, p. 840. 6. Capt. E. M. Warren, commanding mounted company 100-days' Pennsylvania volunteers, will march his company from Camp Curtin at 6 a. m. 20th instant, and proceed, via Newville, Newburg, Roxbury, Strasburg, Fannettsburg, and Burnt Cabins, to Bloody Run, where he will make his headquarters and carry out his instructions furnished by the commanding general. The men will be supplied with three days' rations in haversacks and two days' rations and forage for three days in wagons. The command will be supplied with sixty rounds of ammu nition each man. There is in Loudoun County a considerable settlement of Quakers favorable to the Union, but never disturbed or conscripted by the rebels. No doubt they would be very willing to have their produce and animals impressed, but ought they not to be personally excepted from the late order to General Sheridan? C. A. DANA. Major-General SHERIDAN, CITY POINT, August 20, 1864-9 p. m. Charlestown, Va.: As stated in previous dispatches, no division or brigade has gone from Lee's army to the Valley except Kershaw's and Fitzhugh Lee's. We have had prisoners and deserters fixing every single brigade within the last three days. Warren's corps is now intrenched across the Weldon road. I shall endeaver to stay there and employ the enemy so actively that he cannot detach further. It is probable that a few regiments may have been detached from different divisions and sent against you, but I have no evidence of it. U. S. GRANT, CHARLESTOWN, August 20, 1864—10 p. m. Lieut. Gen. U. S. GRANT, I have nothing important to communicate. The enemy have not gone down the Valley farther than Bunker Hill, and that far only with cavalry. I left everything in that direction for them, but they have not accepted the invitation as yet. I will probably to-morrow learn something of their strength and intentions. Averell this morning moved from Shepherdstown on a stampeding report, and without orders. I don't yet know where he went, but by his movement gives unnecessary alarm. I hope to be able to manage this affair. The enemy do not know exactly what to do, and appear to be in doubt. Can you be certain of what has come here? Taking all the reports which reach me, they are very unsatisfactory. P. H. SHERIDAN, Major-General. CHARLESTOWN, W. VA., August 20, 1864—10 p. m. Maj. Gen. H. W. HALLECK, Chief of Staff: I have nothing new to report to-night in reference to the intentions. of the enemy. General Averell, who was at Martinsburg, moved to Shepherdstown and uncovered the Williamsport crossing. This was satisfactory to me. This morning he reported a brigade of Fitz Lee's cavalry at Martinsburg, but this was an error. There is no enemy north of Bunker Hill. To-day, for some unknown reason and without necessity, he moved from Shepherdstown somewhere without informing me-perhaps to Hagerstown-giving unnecessary alarm by his moveP. H. SHERIDAN, Major-General. ment. CHARLESTOWN, W. VA., August 20, 1864—10 p. m. Hon. EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War: General Averell is the senior to General Torbert, my chief of cavalry. This causes a difficulty which can but be overcome by conferring the rank of brevet on Torbert. Will you have the kindness to do so? I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, P. H. SHERIDAN, Major-General. HEADQUARTERS MIDDLE MILITARY DIVISION, Maj. T. T. ECKERT : August 20, 1864. (Received 3.30 a. m. 21st.) The following dispatch* was sent to General Halleck in cipher from Cedar Creek to Harper's Ferry. Was it received by you and delivered? The party that carried it is supposed to have been captured by guer rillas. JAS. W. FORSYTH, Lieutenant-Colonel and Chief of Staff. (Answered that it was not received.) See Sheridan to Halleck, August 16, p. 811. |