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HEADQUARTERS,

Maj. Gen. D. B. BIRNEY:

Deep Bottom, July 25, 1864-6.45 p. m.

I still hold the crest and picket-line on the New Market and Malvern Hill road. The officers of the picket report an appearance of activity, slashing, &c., in the enemy's lines not noticed before. The two prisoners I have sent to corps headquarters are from a regiment not before heard of on my front.

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I have just captured an orderly from Captain Cochran, Seventeenth Mississippi, who confirms the report that Kershaw's division is on my front. He also reports two Mississippi regiments advancing in, skir mish line toward my picket on the lower side of Four-Mile Creek, whether for the purpose of attacking in force in the morning or to establish a picket-line, I cannot say. I am inclined to think the latter. I have strengthened my line, and am going to send one of my veteran regiments over to-night.

R. S. FOSTER,
Brigadier-General.

Brigadier-General WEITZEL:

FOSTER'S HEADQUARTERS,

July 25, 1864.

A Richmond paper of to-day, which I have just forwarded to corps headquarters, contains a dispatch from General Hood saying that he attacked Sherman on the 22d, capturing 22 pieces of artillery, 5 stand colors, and 2,000 prisoners. General McPherson is reported killed. They acknowledge loss of General Walker killed, and Smith, Gist, and Mercer wounded.

Respectfully,

R. S. FOSTER,
Brigadier-General.

HDQRS. DEPT. OF VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA,
In the Field, July 25, 1864—10.10 p. m.

General FoSTER,

Deep Bottom:

Dispatch received. Keep us posted in all that occurs.

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HEADQUARTERS,

Lieut. Col. E. W. SMITH,

Deep Bottom, July 25, 1864-10 p. m.

Assistant Adjutant-General:

There is heavy firing on the picket-line below Four-Mile Creek.
R. S. FOSTER,

Brigadier General.

HEADQUARTERS,

Deep Bottom, July 25, 1864-12 midnight.

Lieut. Col. E. W. SMITH,
Assistant Adjutant-General :

I regret to say that the right of my picket-line below Four-Mile Creek has been driven back about fifty yards, which I consider unnecessary. I have sent the Eleventh Mame over from this side to hold the line. R. S. FOSTER, Brigadier-General.

Brigadier-General KAUTZ:

JULY 25, 1864.

I send you McRea, an intelligent cavalryman from Richmond. He will give you a description of the batteries and rifle-pits connecting them, number of abatis, and the height of the breast-works. Examine him.

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HDQRS. DEPT. OF VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA,
In the Field, July 25, 1864—6.40 p. m.

Lieutenant BALDWIN,

First New York Volunteer Engineers, Fort Powhatan : When will you get through with your work?

Please answer at once. G. WEITZEL, Brigadier-General.

FORT POWHATAN, VA., July 25, 1864.

Brigadier-General WEITZEL: Unless I get details more promptly I cannot tell. This forenoon I had none. This p. m. I required 100 at 1 o'clock and got only 50 at 3 p. m. I report to commander of post, but get no more men. seems to be no system about fatigue detail.

BALDWIN,

There

Lieutenant, Engineers.

JULY 25, 1864-10.35 p. m.

Colonel INNIS,

Commanding at Fort Powhatan:

How many infantry have you for duty? How many do guard and picket duty daily?

G. WEITZEL,
Brigadier-General.

HDQRS. DEPT. OF VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA,
In the Field, July 25, 1864.

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Major Hoffman, General Franklin's adjutant-general, has been ordered to report to you temporarily until Franklin gets well. He will be of great assistance to you, being a very fine and experienced officer.

G. WEITZEL,
Brigadier-General.

SPECIAL ORDERS,

No. 202.

HDQRS. DEPT. OF VA. AND N. C.,
In the Field, Va., July 25, 1864.

XIII. Maj. Wickham Hoffman, assistant adjutant-general, is hereby ordered to report to Brig. Gen. G. F. Shepley, commanding District of Eastern Virginia, for duty.

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Take most vigorous measures to have all your boats ready, provisioned and watered, with all the men you can muster and all the launches, to go on that expedition up the Rappahannock of which we were speaking the other day. Keep it quiet as possible that such an expedition is about to go up the Rappahannock, so that the enemy may not get notice. but I suppose it will leak out.

BENJ. F. BUTLER, Major-General, Commanding.

Lieut. Gen. U. S. GRANT,

City Point, Va.:

WASHINGTON, D. C., July 26, 1864.

General Rawlins arrived this morning. The President desires you to name, if you can, a time when it would be convenient for you to meet him in person at Fortress Monroe after Thursday morning. EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War.

CITY POINT, VA., July 26, 1864-9 p. m.

Hon. E. M. STANTON,
Secretary of War:

I will meet the President at Fortress Monroe at any time that will suit his convenience after about next Friday. I am commencing move

ments to-night from which I hope favorable results. They may have the effect of drawing the enemy back from Maryland. I am also sending the Nineteenth Corps and five or six veteran regiments of cavalry to Washington.

U. S. GRANT,
Lieutenant-General.

Lieutenant-General GRANT,

WASHINGTON, July 26, 1864-11 a. m.

City Point, Va.:

In view of the return of the enemy with re-enforcements, as stated in dispatches which have been sent to you, General Wright has moved out this morning on the Rockville road toward the Monocacy, to form a junction with Hunter at such point as the latter may direct. The Sixth Corps is reduced to a little over 11,000. With the detachment of the Nineteenth Corps and from here he will have, in all, about 19,000, including cavalry, which, being made up of fragments, is not very reliable. To give General Wright any cavalry at all it was necessary to retain the detachments which you ordered back to the Army of the Potomac. If Early has been re-enforced, as stated from several reliable sources, Hunter and Wright will not be strong enough to meet him in the field. I therefore submit to your consideration the importance of sending a force large enough to prevent his again devastating Maryland and Pennsylvania. All information we receive is immediately telegraphed to you.

H. W. HALLECK, Major-General and Chief of Staff.

CITY POINT, VA., July 26, 1864-12.30 p. m

Major-General HALLECK,

Washington, D. C.:

General Crook's dispatches indicate the probability of another raid north by the enemy. It takes a long time for dispatches to come here and go back, during which conditions may change; consequently it is absolutely necessary that some one in Washington should give orders and make disposition of all the forces within reach of the line of the Potomac. No force has gone from here to re-enforce Early, unless it may be odd regiments. Deserters come in every day, enabling us to keep track of every change the enemy makes.

U. S. GRANT,
Lieutenant-General.

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I am ordering forward the Ninteenth Corps. Several thousand will embark to-night and early in the morning.

U. S. GRANT,

Lieutenant-General.

CITY POINT, VA., July 26, 1864-7 p. m.
(Received 5 a. m. 27th.)

Major-General HALLECK, Washington, D. C.:

Six regiments of cavalry will leave here to-morrow, in addition to the Nineteenth Corps.

U. S. GRANT,
Lieutenant-General.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC,
July 26, 1864—12 m.

Lieut. Gen. U. S. GRANT:

More critical examinations from a new signal station would lead to the conclusion that the enemy have detached works on the ridge in front of Burnside, but they have no connected line. This fact increases the chances of a successful assault, and taken in connection with the fact that General Burnside does not now think the enemy have discovered his mine, on the contrary believes they are laying the platforms for a battery right over it, I have suspended the order to load and discharge it to-morrow, as it may yet be useful in connection with further operations. I am afraid the appearance of MeLaws' division, together with Wilcox's, previously reported, will prevent any chance of a surprise on the part of our people to-morrow. Yesterday's Richmond Examiner also says your strategic movements are known and preparations made to meet them, referring, I presume, to Foster's operations. There was considerable shelling by the enemy yesterday afternoon all along our lines, brought on, I think, by Burnside's discovering a camp he had not before seen and ordering it shelled. No serious casualties were produced on our side, but the Fifth Corps working parties were very much annoyed and interrupted. With this exception all was quiet.

GEO. G. MEADE,
Major-General.

HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES,
City Point, Va., July 26, 1864-12.30 p. m.
(Sent 1 p. m.)

Major-General MEADE, Army of the Potomac:
Your dispatch of 12 m. received. I think Hancock will succeed in
getting through the enemy's lines, or will force them to weaken Peters-
burg, so that we can break through it with the force left behind. Under
these circumstances, I think it advisable that Burnside should have all
the material at hand in readiness to load his mine in the shortest time.
If not discovered by the enemy I would not put the powder in until we
think it will be wanted.

U. S. GRANT,
Lieutenant-General.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC,
OFFICE OF PROVOST-MARSHAL-GENERAL,

Maj. Gen. A. A. HUMPHREYS, Chief of Staff:

July 26, 1864.

GENERAL: A deserter from the First Texas Regiment, Gregg's bri gade, Field's division, Longstreet's corps, came into our lines last

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