Lieut. Col. C. T. CHRISTENSEN, Assistant Adjutant-General: In addition to the detachment going to Simsport, I will to-morrow send a similar force also to Morgan's Ferry, with five days' rations and forage. Boats for crossing infantry to drive off sharpshooters on the opposite side will be sent with each detachment. The detachments to be sent are sent from the brigade under marching orders. M. K. LAWLER. Brigadier-General MCGINNIS. HEADQUARTERS U. S. FORCES, Commanding Third Division, Nineteenth Corps: By direction of the general commanding you will detail two regiments of not less than 300 men each, from your Third Brigade, under a competent field officer, to move out and occupy Simsport, starting to-morrow morning at 4 o'clock. Five days' rations and 100 rounds of ammunition will be taken; 100 cavalry and two pieces of artillery will accompany the expedition. Please direct the officer detailed to report at these headquarters for instructions at 4 p. m. to-day. By command of Brig. Gen. M. K. Lawler: B. WILSON, Assistant Adjutant-General. HDQRS. MILITARY DIVISION OF WEST MISSISSIPPI, Maj. Gen. N. J. T. DANA, Commanding, &c., Vicksburg: Your dispatch of the 14th is received. General Steele informs me, under date of the 9th, that the rebels are falling back from his lines. General Reynolds will, on his way to the White River, stop at your post, and has instructions in case he considers your remaining force too weak, to relieve part of the troops sent by you on the 14th. and the balance, or the greater portion thereof, if he is satisfied that the recent rebel movement is not a feint. Your assignment to the District of Vicksburg was made by order of the Secretary of War, and the papers submitted by you, in reference to your new assignment, will be submitted for his decision. E. R. S. CANBY, Major-General, Commanding. HDQRS. MILITARY DIVISION OF WEST MISSISSIPPI, Maj. Gen. F. STEELE, Little Rock: The movement of the rebels reported in your dispatch of the 9th may have been occasioned by demonstrations made from this direction. I do not trust it, however, as it may be a feint to draw off the troops. sent to you. Recruits and drafted men are to be sent to the division, but I do not know how far you will be re-enforced from this source. The troops of General Reynolds will be needed for operations east of the Mississippi, and they will not be committed to operations from which they cannot be recalled unless it is indispensably necessary for defensive purposes. Have you any report from Fort Smith? E. R. S. CANBY, Major-General, Commanding. HDQRS. SECOND DIVISION, NINETEENTH ARMY CORPS, Col. J. J. GUPPEY, Commanding Third Brigade: COLONEL: You will select your smallest regiment and have it prepared for embarkation at an early hour to-morrow morning. The Steamer Ellwood has arrived from Memphis, and the steamer Colonel Cowles being here, both will proceed up White River to-morrow morning. You will put as many men as possible on the Ellwood. The remainder can go on the Colonel Cowles, with the One hundred and twenty-fourth Illinois. All transportation will be left behind. Barges will be furnished to carry the transportation for your entire command when it moves. Tents and camp and garrison equipage will accompany the regiment. Both steamers will move to the landing opposite the camp some time during the night, and you will please have the regi ment so selected embark so that the boats may leave at daylight to-morrow morning, the 18th instant. By order of Brigadier-General Dennis: WM. E. KUHN, Acting Assistant Adjutant-General. HDQRS. SECOND DIVISION, NINETEENTH ARMY CORPS, Col. J. H. HOWE, Commanding 124th Illinois-Infantry: COLONEL: As soon as the steamer Colonel Cowles returns after coaling you will embark your command so as to be ready to leave this post to-morrow morning, October 18, at 5 o'clock, and proceed to Devall's Bluff, Ark., reporting on your arrival to the commanding officer of the U. S. forces at that place. By order of Brigadier-General Dennis: WM. E. KUHN, Acting Assistant Adjutant-General. SPECIAL ORDERS, Į HDQRS. DEPARTMENT OF ARKANSAS, No. 255. Little Rock, Ark., October 17, 1864. I. The Third Minnesota Infantry Volunteers will take station at Devall's Bluff and report for duty to Brig. Gen. C. C. Andrews, com-. manding. SPECIAL ORDERS,} I. Brig. Gen. J. R. West, commanding Cavalry Division, Seventh Army Corps, will order the Ninth Kansas Cavalry to Devall's Bluff, to report to the commanding officer of the post. II. Upon the arrival of the Ninth Kansas Cavalry at Devall's Bluff the commanding officer of that post will order the Eleventh Missouri Cavalry to Brownsville, to report to Col. W. F. Geiger, commanding Third Brigade, Cavalry Division. By command of Brig. Gen. E. A. Carr: Brigadier-General CLAYTON: * C. H. DYER, Assistant Adjutant-General. LITTLE ROCK, October 17, 1864. There is no battery here that can be sent to take the place of the Eleventh Ohio. If you wish to keep the guns they will have to be manned by details. Application has been made for heavy artillery. By order of Maj. Gen. F. Steele: Lieut. Col. W. D. GREEN, W. D. GREEN, Assistant Adjutant-General. PINE BLUFF, ARK., October 17, 1864. Assistant Adjutant-General: The troops here are anxious to build winter quarters. If you anticipate that any regiments will be ordered to replace any now here, or that any other change will be made in my command, please notify me as soon as convenient. Capt. C. H. DYER, POWELL CLAYTON, Brigadier-General, Commanding. PINE BLUFF, ARK., October 17, 1864. Assistant Adjutant-General: It is reported that a very large force of the enemy have crossed to this side of the Saline. I will send Lieutenant Grove toward Mount Elba to-morrow to ascertain the facts in the case. Have heard nothing of Colonel Erskine yet. POWELL CLAYTON, Brigadier-General, Commanding. HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF THE FRONTIER, Col. S. H. WATTLES, Commanding Indian Brigade: SIR: I would advise you to send at once one regiment of infantry to Mackey's Salt-Works to manufacture a supply of salt for your com3 R R-VOL XLI, PT IV. mand, which Captain Peck says they can do in two days. They should not remain there longer than that time. If you can spare any transportation I would advise you to send here your surplus ordnance stores. GENERAL: Dispatches received from Generals Washburn and Thomas, also information received through reliable scouts, shows that Forrest is about to attack Memphis in heavy force. There are only about 5,000 effective men here, including the Enrolled Militia. Can you spare any of the troops sent to you from here, even for a short time? Two thousand men sent at once may save the city of Memphis, and the amount of Government property here is so vast that the most strenuous efforts should be made to save it. Col. JOSEPH DARR, MORGAN L. SMITH, Brigadier-General of Volunteers. JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., October 17, 1864-8 p. m. Provost-Marshal-General, Saint Louis, Mo. : From prisoners and other sources of information find out all about Price's army and let us hear from you. JOHN V. DU BOIS, Colonel and Chief of Staff. GENERAL ORDERS, ) HDQRS. DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI, No. 1. OFFICE OF PROVOST-MARSHAL-GENERAL, I. The following order is published for the information of all concerned: GENERAL ORDERS, No. 198. HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI, Col. Joseph Darr, jr., heretofore performing the duties of first assistant provostmarshal-general, is announced as acting provost-marshal-general of the department. He will be obeyed and respected accordingly, FRANK ENO, Assistant Adjutant-General. II. In assuming the duties of this position, it becomes a painful necessity to refer to the death of Col. J. P. Sanderson, Thirteenth U. S. Infantry, the late and lamented provost-marshal-general of the Department of the Missouri, who literally sacrificed his life through his incessant devotion of mind and body to the interests of the service and for the benefit of the loyal people of Missouri. It is confidently hoped that all officers and employés connected with this bureau, throughout the State, will not forget the noble example they have lost, and will strive to emulate in every possible way the untiring energy, the sterling probity, and unflinching patriotism of their deceased chief. JOSEPH DARR, JR., Acting Provost-Marshal-General. HEADQUARTERS SAINT LOUIS DISTRICT, Major-General ROSECRANS, Jefferson City: Major Williams fails to get very full information as to the aggregate of Price's command. From Major Surridge, who is in the hospital here, I learn there are three divisions, with an aggregate of 18,000 men and eighteen pieces of artillery. Ten pieces of artillery are in Shelby's division. The divisions are nearly of equal size, Shelby's being the largest. Marmaduke's division has three brigades, under General Clark, Colonel McCray, and Colonel Freeman; Tim Reves commands a regiment in Freeinan's brigade. Fagan's division is the best and has three brigades, commanded by General Cabell, Colonel Slemons, and Colonel Dobbin. Shelby's division has but two brigades, but very large ones, commanded by Colonel Shanks and Colonel Jackman. Major Williams in his dispatch says there were four divisions, commanded from right to left, as follows: Shelby, Marmaduke, Fagan, Cooper, and the aggregate was about 20,000, with eighteen pieces of artillery. He says in the hospitals at Ironton the following regiments and batteries were represented: Mounted infantry, Morgan's, Monroe's, Hill's, Coleman's, Witherspoon's, Crandall's, Reves', Boone's, Crawford's, Gordon's, Cochran's, Wright's, Hodge's, and Slayback's; cavalry, Third, Fourth, Eighth, and Tenth Missouri; batteries, Zimmerman's, Gentry's, and Wood's. I think the division of Cooper must not be with Price's command, as I have not heard of it as present except through Major Williams. THOS. EWING, JR., HEADQUARTERS SAINT LOUIS DISTRICT, Major-General ROSECRANS, Jefferson City, Mo.: If you think Price is certainly going into Kansas suppose you let me send two regiments of infantry there from here, or at least the Tenth Kansas and Eighteenth Colored. I could get them through by the North Missouri road in time, I guess, to do some good. Please let me know where Price's main army is and his probable purpose. THOS. EWING, JR., |