of the Adjutant- General of the Army, has caused much talk and many rumors and reports here. It is unfortunate that an officer of the army should have the most distant appearance of being indirectly interested in affairs of profit and gain, especially when his duties connect him so closely with the source of profit and the control of its increase or diminution as to enable suspicious persons to circulate rumors of his having aided, in any way, by favor or official countenance, the success of the venture. Whilst it is my delicate duty to allude to this, and still more in the sequel to report some particulars, I refrain from repeating all that I have heard in the shape of common rumor. This much I must say, however, as it can be easily ascertained whether or not it is a fact, the Adjutant- General has had for months at his sole disposal a steamboat called the Rocket. It is not my duty to question the propriety of such an expenditure, for it certainly must be warranted by competent authority, but there are reports of the boat having been run and used when public necessity did not demand it, and that she, at least on one occasion, has brought supplies, farming tools, &c., to the plantation alluded to.

I beg to ask particular attention to my letter of instructions to Brigadier- General Brayman. The important general orders and circulars alluded to had never been acted on previous to General Brayman's arrival here. Most of the officers had never heard of them. I have selected the Twenty- ninth Illinois Infantry and the FIFTY- eighth U. S. Infantry (Colored) as the disposable reserve force here. This gives now an aggregate effective force of 1,055, and when the Twenty- ninth returns from furlough it will be increased to 1,400 men. As the Seventieth and Seventy- first Regiments become filled up, and the Fourth Illinois Cavalry becomes complete in its arms and equipments and mount, a still further draft could be taken from here. After the cavalry regiment is fit for the field I advise the sending of a a regiment of cavalry about 400 strong, and that this one, 900 strong, be put in the field. The steam- boat Brazil, a chartered boat, was here. She is capable of carrying only about half the reserve, but the Altamont, a Govrnment boat, has arrived to- day to relieve her by the order of Colonel Lewis B. Parsons. I have directed that both boats shall be kept till other arrangements shall be made. In regard to the fourth paragraph of your instructions, whatever great abuses have existed heretofore, there are no rumors or accusations, so far as I am able to discover, against either of the present incumbents or against Colonel Farrar, the last commander, but prior to that it is not to be doubted that the corruption was appalling. Swindling to a great extent is reported to have been practiced, oppression and blackmailing was said to be common, and whether by the greedy desire of gain or the base yielding to weakness before the influence of female charms and beauty, or both, it is certain supplies in large amounts were carried into the enemy's country beyond or lines. They still continue to go, but in much more limited quantities. Yet the present amount is almost incredible to persons whose senses have not become blunted by the habit of witnessing the post trade. At this position alone during the past eight weeks $118. 000 have been carried out. I have not been able to discover that any other authority is held by the provost- marshal or commanding officer than paragraph II of General Orders, Numbers 4, of Major- General Slocum, hereto annexed. *

You will see by my letter of instructions to Brigadier- General Brayman that I have communicated the orders of the major- general com-

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*See p. 30.

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