HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC,
April 30, 1865.

General BENHAM:

Van Brocklin will be needed. The general commanding wishes an officer to be sent to him at once to order him to move to Roanoke Station. He has no authority for going with General Sheridan; he belongs to this army and should return at once.

ALEX. S. WEBB,

Brevet Major-General and Chief of Staff.

ROANOKE STATION, April 30, 1865-6.30 p.m.

General A. S. WEBB:

I presume my last telegram will be satisfactory. I have already ordered Van Brocklin to move on to you with his bridge to-night. I think he can move quicker than Folwell. I think Van Brocklin was obtained by General Sheridan from General Wright. I knew nothing of it till I heard he was laying his bridge at Moseley's Ferry yesterday morning.

[H. W. BENHA,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.]

ROANOKE STATION, April 30, 1865-6.45 p.m.

(Received 7.40 p.m.)

I was sending you a telegram* to say that I had ordered Van Brocklin, as I thought he would reach you first; but I now [order] Folwell to [take] up his bridge immediately and to move on to-night. Van Brocklin came with General Sheridan without my knowledge till he was at Moseley's Ferry laying his bridge. If you do not direct otherwise, I shall judge it best to bring his bridge up here and lay it for my engineer teams to cross, as a large number had to be sent over to get the timber for the railroad bridge, the hauling of which they are only completing to-day, and it will require, without a bridge, about a whole day to recross the teams in the single scow now here.

H. W. BENHAM,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC,
April 30, 1865-7.50 p.m.

Brigadier-General BENHAMA,

Commanding Engineer Brigade:

Your orders are right and approved by General Meade; but Wright must have a bridge left for him, so leave Van Brocklin.

ALEX. S. WEBB,

Brevet Major-General and Chief of Staff.

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*See next, ante.

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