HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF NORTH CAROLINA,
ARMY OF THE OHIO,

Wilmington, N. C., March 4, 1865.

General G. S. DODGE,

Acting Chief Quartermaster:

GENERAL: All wagons, animals, and other property which may arrive at this harbor for the Twenty-third Army Corps are to be sent to Morehead City, also all that are now here, but not unloaded to-day. Property now here, and not taken with the troops on the 6th, will await further orders. The teams unloaded to-day are to be turned over to General Terry's quartermaster to replace those furnished by him to Twenty-third Army Corps. The pontoon train, which is expected from the North, will be sent to Morehead City; also any troops which may arrive from the Department of the South. Please have as little delay as possible in transmitting orders to vessels that may arrive. It will probably be best for you to remain here until these matters are adjusted, but I will see when I arrive at New Berne what the necessities are there. If the Manchester Railroad people succeed in getting in their trains, which I do not count on, take possession of them and turn them over to Colonel Wright on his arrival. It will probably be well to leave one or two engines and some cars west of the river. Do not send away the light-draft sea steamers that have been detained here, unless they are called for from the North, but call my attention to the matter in a week or ten days.

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

J. M. SCHOFIELD,

Major-General.

HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF BEAUFORT,
Batchelder's Creek, March 4, 1865.

Major-General SCHOFIELD,

Commanding Department of North Carolina:

GENERAL: Your dispatch of 2nd came to hand this evening. The concentration of my troops at Core Creek is completed to-night, except as to a couple of detachments, one of which was ordered in from Roanoke Island, and the other from a position on our left. The rains have been continuous since I left Wilmington, and as a result the roads from New Berne to Core Creek are nearly impassable. The distance by road, about twenty miles, could ordinarily have been made in a day, but over two days have now been taken by the troops in the movement, and the commandants report that they have pushed as fast as possible. The railroad is repaired to-night to within one mile of Core Creek, seven miles having been put in order during the past two days. The telegraph will reach the same point by noon to-morrow, and I shall then move my headquarters to that point, and the troops can be resupplied with rations and move another step in advance. Regarding the rapid reconstruction of the railroad as the most important thing, I have turned over to the construction corps a portion of our teams to haul bridge timbers and railroad ties from the woods, so that we have only ten wagons to a division for field use. It is of course manifest that so small amount of transportation can do no more than keep troops supplied within a mile or two of the railroad terminus, especially in the present condition of the roads. This constitutes my chief embarrassment, for I have no doubt of my ability to go into Kinston whenever I can feed my command there. The railroad from Core Creek to Kinston,