arm a small brigade of about 2,000 men with Spencer rifles, or if the rifles cannot be procured, with Spencer carbines, and I request that the arms may be forwarded to me without delay. I will cause a requisition for them to be made by the ordnance officer as soon as I return to Hilton Head. I had a brigade thus armed in the Tenth Corps, and I never hesitated to set them against two to three times their number. If the entire 2,000 arms cannot be sent at once, a part will answer, even if the lot contains a mixture of rifles and carbines. I attach considerable importance to this matter in the present reduced state of this command.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

Q. A. GILLMORE,

Major-General, Commanding.

HDQRS. DIST. OF FLORIDA, DEPT. OF THE SOUTH, FOURTH SEPARATE BRIGADE, Jacksonville, Fla., February 11, 1865.

Major General J. G. FOSTER,
Commanding Department of the South:

GENERAL: I beg respectfully to lay before you the following particulars, viz: A few days ago a party under Lieutenant-Colonel Wilcoxson, Seventeenth Connecticut Volunteers, went out after cotton with ten 4-horse teams, and numbering in all 48 men, 4 officers, and 40 horses, all of which were captured, and 1 officer (Lieutenant Chatfield), killed. Since hearing of this report the brigadier-general commanding, on whose staff I have the honor to be serving, has been extremely ill, and I deem it proper to state that fact to you this privately. Colonel Tilghman has been ordered to Saint Augustine and it leaves the troops at this place for the present under command of a captain. Should anything occur requiring prompt attention I do not believe the general would be capable for at least one week of attending to it. I hope you will pardon the manner of thus informing you of this, but the extreme urgency of the case and the responsible position which I hold here compel me so to do.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your most obedient servant,

THOMAS J. ROBINSON,

Lieutenant and Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.

FORT FISHER, N. C., February 11, 1865.

(Received 8. 30 a. m., 16th.)

Bvt. Major General M. C. MEIGS,

Quartermaster-General:

I am directed by Major-General Schofield to make requisitions for 400,000 rations of forage and 20,000 pairs of shoes for the use of General Sherman's army. These supplies will be shipped to Beaufort Harbor, where, according to the general's directions, the vessels will await orders. The vessels should be of eleven fee draft, so as to be able to enter Cape Fear River, if desired, and should be at Beaufort by the 25th of this month. These suppliese will be in addition to