CIRCULAR.] HDQRS. DEPT. OF N. Miss. AND W. TENN.,

Oxford, August 12, 1864.

Captain Thomas Henderson is announced as chief of scouts for this department, and will be respected and obeyed as such. All scouts now out under orders from department, DIVISION, or other headquarters will be immediately ordered back to their commands. Special scouts will be sent as ordered or when necessary to the front on specific or special duty, but no commands will be sent out as general scouts except the companies of Captains Henderson and Kizer, and all other men on that service will be withdrawn.

By command of Major-General Forrest:

CHAS. W. ANDERSON,

Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.

SPECIAL ORDERS,
HDQRS. DEPT. OF N. Miss. AND W. TENN., Numbers -.
Oxford, Miss., August 13, 1864.

The following-named parties, from the staff of Colonel Rucker, are hereby ordered to report to Brigadier General J. R. Chalmers for assignment to duty; Captain John T. Chandler, acting assistant adjutant-general; Captain John F. Overton, acting assistant inspector-general; Lieutenant S. H. Perkins, ordnance officer, and Lieutenant R. H. Sanford, provost-marshal.

By command of Major-General Forrest:

CHAS. W. ANDERSON,
Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.

MOBILE, August 13, 1864.

General COOPER:

Can you send me any veteran troops from Charleston or elsewhere?

DABNEY H. MAURY,

Major-General.

MOBILE, August 13, 1864.

Honorable JAMES A. SEDDON,

Secretary:

Can you arrange to run small vessels with supplies to Fort Morgan from Wilmington? How soon?

D. H. MAURY,

Major-General.

HDQRS. DEPARTMENT OF ALA., MISS., AND EAST LA.,
Mobile, Ala., August 13, 1864.

General SAMUEL COOPER,

Adjutant and Inspector General:

GENERAL: On being so ordered I repaired at once to Montgomery and relieved General Stephen D. Lee of command of this department. I found the whole available force of the department to be as follows: In North Mississippi, about 6,000 cavalry; in Central Alabama, about 1,400 cavalry; in front of Vicksburg, about 700 cavalry; in Southwest MISSISSIPPI and East Louisiana, about 1,200 cavalry. I took active measures to provide for repair of railroad from Montgomery to Opelika, and to guard the approaches through North Alabama against raids on that line of road