and will not be diverted from their special purposes by orders of local or department commanders, or of officers of other staff departments.

By order of the Secretary of War:

E. D. TOWNSEND,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

SPECIAL
HDQRS. MIL. DIV. OF THE MISSISSIPPI, FIELD ORDERS,
In the Field, Lowry's, Numbers 25.
February 8, 1865.

The next movement will be against the railroad at any point between Orangeburg and the Congaree, as near Orangeburg as possible.

I. The Right Wing is charged with the destruction of the South Carolina Railroad from and including the Edisto bridge to Blackville, and the Left Wing with the engineer regiment and the cavalry will destroy from Blackville west as far as possible.

II. Major-General Howard will move the Seventeenth Corps by the State road to Binnaker's and Holman's Bridges, feign at one and cors at the other, and move on Orangeburg.

The Fifteenth corps will move up the railroad to a point about four miles west of Graham's Station, and after having finished the destruction of the railroad to Blackville will cross the Edisto by Holman's Bridge or the head of Young's Island and move in support of the Seventeenth Corps.

III. The Twentieth Corps will move to Blackville and continue the destruction of the railroad westward, and the Fourteenth Corps will come up on the road about White Pond or Williston and as soon as the destruction of the road is complete will cross the Edisto at the head of Young's Island or at Guignard's Bridge, and push out to the Orangeburg and Edgefield road, ready to move on Orangeburg or Columbia, according to developments.

IV. The cavalry will continue to act in concert with the Left Wing, will burn the railroad as far west as possible, and cross the Edisto to the Edgefield road at the same time with the Left Wing. All troops will lean toward Orangeburg until it is known that the Right Wing has made a secure lodgment at or near Orangeburg.

By order of Major General W. T. Sherman:

L. M. DAYTON,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

HDQRS. MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI,
In the Field, February 8, 1865.

General HOWARD,

Commanding Right Wing:

GENERAL: I would like to hear from the Edisto bridge. It is very important that it be destroyed by the enemy, else by ourselves. Better send word back to any wagons that have followed your track to join you via Graham's, crossing the Salkehatchie at Buford's. I sent a courier back last night to Corse and Slocum, but have not heard of them to-day. Kilpatrick will start from Blackville to-morrow for Aiken to break road as near Augusta as possible.

W. T. SHERMAN,

Major-General.