and three battalions of infantry. Aggregate present, about 3,500. Aggregate present and absent, about 5,000. No reports or return were turned over to this office. General Jones ordered brigade reports trimonthly. They came in on 20th, but one was returned for correction; hence the uncertainty in this report. General Jenkins had fifty-two companies of cavalry badly organized; strength not known. General Jones has gone to Princeton and Salt Sulphur Springs to inspect his troops there. Will return in a day or two. Will send full returns as soon as reports can be gotten in.

CHAS. STRINGFELLOW,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

SPECIAL ORDERS,
HDQRS. DEPT. OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA,

No. 277.
December 24, 1862.

I. The difficulty experienced in obtaining forage renders it necessary to send to more convenient positions all the artillery, except the batteries hereinafter designated.

II. The following batteries will be retained: Captain Lane's battery, of the general reserve; Captain Rhett's battery, of Colonel Alexander's battalion; Captain Lewis' battery, of General Anderson's division; Captain Read's battery, of General McLaws' division; Captain Stribling's battery, of General Pickett's division; Captain Reilly's battery, of General Hood's division, and Captain French's [Cooper's?] battery, of General Ransom's division, General Longstreet's corps. Captain Poaugue's battery, of the reserve artillery. Captain Hardaway's battery, of General D. H.

Hill's division; Captain McIntosh's battery, of General A. P. Hill's division; Captain Carpenter's battery, of General Taliaferro's division, and Captain Brown's battery, of General Early's division, General Jackson's corps.

III. All the other batteries of General Longstreet's corps will be sent, under command of the chief of artillery of the corps, to a point on the Telegraph road, about midway between the Mattapony and the North Anna Rivers, and within about 5 miles of Childsburg.

IV. All other batteries of General Jackson's corps will be sent, under the command of the chief of artillery of the corps, to a point within about 5 miles of Bowling Green.

V. The remaining batteries of the general reserve, and Colonel Alexander's battalion, will be located at some point near the before-mentioned localities.

VI. The whole will be under the general direction of the chief of artillery of the Army of Northern Virginia, through whom all reports will be forwarded.

VII. The commanding officer of each camp is required to give his particular and earnest attention to the proper care of the horses, seeing that they are placed in position as much sheltered as possible, and that they are properly groomed and fed. The horses will not be used, except when required for Government service; and every effort will be made to resuscitate and restore them to proper condition for the spring campaign. Unless successful in this object, the want of animals, it is feared, will render necessary the disbandment of many of the batteries.

By command of General R. E. Lee:

W. H. TAYLOR,

Assistant Adjutant-General.