was my intention also, at the same time, to have punished severely those of the inhabitants who harbored or assisted him, but the assassination of President Lincoln, occurring on the night the force from Washington was to have marched (14th of April, 1865), to the movement was temporarily postponed, and before preparations to put it into operation had again been completed, the majority of Mosby's force, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Chapman, came into Winchester, and were paroled (April 21, 1865). Mosby and a few of his followers refused to surrender, and moved off, I was informed, in the direction of Lynchburg.

On the 20th of April, by direction of General Grant, I directed Dwight's division of the Nineteenth Army Corps to proceed to Washington, via the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and the same day ordered Brigadier-General Chapman's brigade of cavalry to march to that city.

April 22, 1865, I received instructions from the War Department to remove the headquarters of the Middle Military Division from Winchester, Va., to Washington City, and, in accordance therewith, proceeded to Washington on the 23rd of April, and established my headquarters there, where they remained until July 10, 1865, when, the Middle Military Division having been discontinued, I was assigned by the President to the command of the Middle Military Department, relieving Major General Lewis Wallace, U. S. Volunteers. That department embraced the States of West Virginia, Maryland (except the counties of Montgomery, that part of Anne Arundel lying south of the Annapolis and Elk Ridge Railroad, and excluding the city of Annapolis, Prince George's, Calvert, Charles, and Saint Mary's), the county of Loundoun, and the Shenandoah Valley as far south as and including Rockingham County, in Virginia, the States of Delaware and Pennsylvania, headquarters at Baltimore, Md.

While I held command of that department all of the one-year troops of the First Veteran Army Corps (which had been organized by me, under instructions from the War Department) were mustered out of service, on account of the expiration of their term of enlistment, and that corps as an organization was discontinued. A large number of other volunteer troops were mustered out within the limits of the Middle Department during the time it was commanded by me.

In August, 1865, the Second Regiment U. S. Artillery, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel and Bvt. Brigadier General William H. French, U. S. army, embarked at Fort McHenry, Baltimore, for California.

October 13, 1865, the Second and Sixth Regiments U. S. Cavalry, then stationed in Maryland, were ordered away from my command-the Second Cavalry to the Division of the Mississippi, the Sixth Cavalry to the Department of the Gulf.

I retained command of the Middle Military Department until anew arrangement of departments was made by General Orders, Numbers 59, Adjutant-General's Office, Washington, August 6, 1866, when I was assigned in said order to the command of the Department of the Missouri.

I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

WINF'D S. HANCOCK,

Major-General, U. S. Army, Commanding Department of the Missouri.

ADJUTANT-GENERAL U. S. ARMY,

Washington, D. C.