vousing your troops at such points as you may deem proper for the accomplishment of your duty. Arrest all persons taking or transmit ting cotton through the enemy's lines without proper authority, which can only be given by Maj. John S. Wallis, approved by the lieutenant general commanding department, or authority given by the lieutenantgeneral himself. Send all persons thus arrested, with the teams, wagons, and drivers (if slaves) to Brigadier-General Wright, commanding District of North Mississippi and West Tennessee, for disposition. Having scouted the counties mentioned, the major-general commanding directs that you move to the Mississippi River at some point near Horn Lake, thence down the river through the counties of De Soto, Tunica, Coahoma, and Bolivar as far as Issaquena, spreading through the coun try, arresting deserters, absentees, guerrillas, &c., allowing no one to cross the Mississippi River unless with authority from department headquarters or from officers commanding districts in which you may be operating. Arrived at Issaquena you will return so as to sweep the entire section of country to the vicinity of Hernando, thence back via Panola to Grenada, at which place you will report with your command to Brigadier-General Wright. During your march, should it be neces sary, the major-general commanding directs that you impress forage sufficient for your stock. Also, in the event your horses become jaded and worn down, you will exchange them for serviceable ones, payings reasonable difference in the exchange. Should you find it impossible to exchange on these terms, you will impress horses to mount your dis mounted men, always making the impressments in accordance with the order from Secretary of War in relation to impressments. While on your rounds you will collect all companies and parts of companies or soldiers that you may find, unless they be there under orders from depart ment or district headquarters, ordering them to report to you for duty and taking them with you. Any officer thus found refusing to obey your orders you will arrest and send in irons to Brigadier-General Wright. It is directed by the major-general commanding that all com panies, detachments, and squads of cavalry now in that section of coun try report to you for duty while in the execution of the instructions herein contained, unless, as before stated, they be operating under orders from department or district headquarters. You are also author ized and directed to seize all Government arms in the hands of citizens, sending all guns thus taken to Brigadier-General Wright. You will also from time to time report your operations to these headquarters. In seizing the arms you will take all navy, army, English, or French pistols in the hands of citizens, giving your receipts for them. After arming your own men you will turn in the remainder to Brigadier-General Wright at Grenada. I am, colonel, &c., P. ELLIS, JR., Assistant Adjutant-General. WEST POINT, MISS., March 13, 1865. Brigadier-General CHALMERS: Brigadier-General Adams' brigade ordered to Macon. Make prepa rations to supply him at that place. He probably left Jackson to-day. N. B. FORREST, F SPECIAL ORDERS, * ADJT. AND INSP. GENERAL'S OFFICE, * * XIV. Maj. T. Walton, assistant adjutant-general, is relieved from his present service, and is assigned to duty at the headquarters of the Department of Alabama, Mississippi, and East Louisiana. He will report to Lieut. Gen. R. Taylor, commanding, &c. Have you any information of the enemy ? Is he moving up the Pensacola road, or going on the steam-boats to Milton, or up the Escambia River? ST. JNO. R. LIDDELL, Brigadier-General, Commanding. HEADQUARTERS EAST DIVISION, DISTRICT OF THE GULF, Colonel ARMISTEAD, Blakely, March 14, 1865-8.50 a. m. Commanding, Canoe Station: Your dispatch 7 p. m. received, and not fully intelligible. Will send you ammunition by Colonel Spence. What is the direction the enemy is taking, Milton, or Pollard, or Canoe Station? Where are the four boats going? ST. JNO. R. LIDDELL, Brigadier-General, Commanding. HDQRS. DEPARTMENT OF ALA., MISS., AND EAST LA., Major-General FORREST, West Point, Miss.: GENERAL: There is doubtless at Aberdeen, Columbus, and other points in your district a large accumulation of cotton, which may soon have to be burned to prevent its falling into the hands of the enemy. The lieutenant-general commanding wishes you to inform the owners of all such cotton of your orders to burn it whenever enemy's movements may make it necessary, and will urge upon them the importance of at once moving their cotton to a safe distance from towns and houses, where burning the cotton will not involve the destruction of other property. By owners moving their cotton themselves they will avoid the loss that must accrue in its being handled by military authority. Should they refuse to move their cotton as indicated, the lieutenantgeneral commanding directs that you immediately have hands, wagons, and teams impressed, and the cotton removed under the supervision of suitable officers to such points as will enable you to have it quickly burned whenever it may become necessary without endangering other property. These instructions will govern your actions at all points in your district where cotton is accumulated and can, if captured, be removed by the enemy; in fact, at all shipping points on railroads, navigable streams, and main thoroughfares. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. F. BULLOCK, JR., WEST POINT, MISS., March 14, 1865. Brigadier-General CHALMERS: Can you be realy to move with your command day after to-morrow morning to Montevallo with four days' cooked rations and two days' forage? Answer immediately. N. B. FORREST, HEADQUARTERS FORREST'S CAVALRY CORPS, Brig. Gen. JAMES R. CHALMERS, West Point, March 14, 1865. Commanding Division, Columbus: GENERAL: I am directed by the major-general commanding to say that the enemy are moving from Eastport to Decatur and to Athens. It is confidently expected they will move into North Alabama. He directs that you prepare your command to move to Montevallo with four days' cooked rations and two days' forage. He has telegraphed you to-night to know if you could not be ready to move by day after to-morrow morning. Major Mason, chief quartermaster, now at Columbus, was also telegraphed to night to provide 5,000 rations of corn at Pickensville and 10,000 rations of corn at Tuscaloosa. The general suggests that you at once send an officer to Tuscaloosa to provide the corn as above. Major Mason may not have a man to send, except he gets one from you or you send one of your quartermasters. I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Aide-de-Camp. NAVAL GUN FOUNDRY AND ORDNANCE WORKS, Lieut. Gen. R. TAYLOR, Commanding Department, Meridian: Selma, March 15, 1865. SIR: I am directed by the Secretary of the Navy to confer with you in regard to removing the machinery of these works. Our machinery is very heavy and there is a great deal of it. Under favorable circumstances it would require weeks to remove it, and it would be mouths before we could have it in operation elsewhere. I have sent off all the machinery not in use. Please inform me if you deem it best to remove and where to go. I would ask if we are to remove, that all quartermasters have positive orders to transport our machinery without delay. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, CATESBY AP R. JONES, HEADQUARTERS EAST DIVISION, DISTRICT OF THE GULF, Blakely, March 15, 1865. Capt. J. V. TUTT, Commanding at Greenwood: CAPTAIN: Your communications have been received. The general directs that you send a force sufficient to capture any picket-posts of the enemy or scouting parties that they may send out. You will instruct the officer in charge (who must be a competent one) to be certain of capturing the whole party, so that the enemy will not know what has become of them, and in that way you may be able to gain some information concerning the intentions of the enemy. Very respectfully, captain, your obedient servant, H. L. D. LEWIS, Acting Assistant Adjutant-General. HEADQUARTERS FORREST'S CAVALRY CORPS, Capt. W. F. BULLOCK, Jr., Assistant Adjutant-General: CAPTAIN: I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of papers relative to the situation of affairs at Natchez. Should the lieutenantgeneral commanding think it advisable to do so, he can order Colonel Mabry, in command of Ross' brigade, to attempt the capture of the place, but do not think it necessary to turn General Adams back for that purpose. General Adams reported to me a short time since that he had 2,000 effective for duty, and now that he is ordered in this direction, reports only 700 men. He doubtless included Powers' and the Fourth and Sixth Mississippi in the estimate, but (without these) in the Third Mississippi Regiment and Moorman's battalion he should have more than he now reports. Colonel Scott telegraphs me that ninety of his men ran away night before last. I know Colonel Scott to be a disorganizer, and if things cannot be changed his whole command ought to be dismounted. If Cockrell's Missouri brigade were mounted upon their horses and the Louisiana troops placed in Gibson's brigade, with the addition of McCulloch's regiment, a good Missouri brigade could be made which, if sent to scour the Southern District of Mississippi and East Louisiana, would, by arresting stragglers, deserters, and illegal squads and companies of cavalry now infesting that region, in a short [time], add 1,500 men to our army. It is useless to send men from Scott's or Adams' command to get out these men. A command from some other section who knows no one can alone accomplish it. Whatever can be gotten to Macon of the commands above referred to I will endeavor to fit up and equip for the field. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, N. B. FORREST, HDQRS. DEPARTMENT OF ALA., MISS., AND EAST LA., [Major General FORREST:] Meridian, March 15, 1865. GENERAL: The lieutenant general commanding instructs me to direct you to order all officers and men belonging to Ferguson's brigade, includ ing Col. H. H. Miller's regiment, Ninth Mississippi, now rendezvousing at Shubuta, to proceed without delay to Carthage, Ala., and report to Lieutenant-Colonel Martin, commanding recruiting camp. I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Assistant Adjutant-General. [Indorsement.] HEADQUARTERS CAVALRY, DISTRICT OF MISS., EAST LA., AND WEST TENN., Brigadier-General Chalmers will have the within order carried out, if any portion of Ferguson's brigade is reporting to him. By order of Major-General Forrest: P. ELLIS, JR., Assistant Adjutant-General. HEADQUARTERS FORREST'S CAVALRY CORPS, Brigadier-General CHALMERS: West Point, March 15, 1865. GENERAL: I am directed by the major-general commanding to say that Adams' brigade is moving across to Macon, and that you will make such arrangements for his command as may be necessary, supplying him with forage and rations. He is also in need of arms, ammunition, clothing, &c. I am, general, very respectfully, yours, CHAS. W. ANDERSON, Aide-de-Camp. GENERAL ORDERS, HDQRS. CHALMERS' DIVISION CAVALRY, Columbus, Miss., March 15, 1865. No. 5. I. Maj. W. V. Johnson, commissary of subsistence, is announced as acting division commissary during the temporary absence of Maj. B. S. Crump. By order of Brigadier-General Chalmers: W. A. GOODMAN, Assistant Adjutant-General. SPECIAL ORDERS, } HDQRS. CHALMERS' DIVISION CAVALRY, I. The troops of this command will prepare 1 be ready to move on Friday morning with four days' rations. Ordnance wagons and trains must be loaded and held ready for inspection to-morrow morning. The best wagons of the command will be taken at once for this purpose. * * By order of Brigadier-General Chalmers: * W. A. GOODMAN, Assistant Adjutant-General. |