WASHINGTON, May 23, 1864-10.30 a.m.

Major-General HUNTER,

Cedar Creek, Va.:

Energetic and efficient brigadiers are scare. Name any you want who are available and you shall have them. General Grant telegraphed last evening that Breckinridge had joined Lee.

H. W. HALLECK,

Major-General and Chief of Staff.

WASHINGTON, May 23, 1864-9 p.m.

Major-General HUNTER,

Cedar Creek:

There are no vacancies of brigadier-general of volunteers. You have three generals of cavalry in your department, Stahel, Duffie, and Averell, certainly enough for your cavalry force. If any are worthless recommend them to be mustered out and I will indorse it. No one can be appointed till some one else is mustered out.

H. W. HALLECK,

Major-General and Chief of Staff.

SPECIAL ORDERS,
HDQRS. DEPT. OF WEST VIRGINIA, No. 103.
Cedar Creek, Va., May 23, 1864.

5. The whole artillery of this command will report direct to the chief of artillery on the staff of the major-general commanding, and hereafter will be completely independent of brigade and division organizations.

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11. The general commanding directs that no citizens, male or female, be allowed to enter our lines, and that no citizens, male or female, residing within your lines, or already within our lines, be permitted to go outside them. Generals commanding divisions and brigades will see that this order is rigidly executed, and the provost-marshal will seize any citizen, made or female, found within our lines, irrespective of any pass or pretended authority they may have for so being. Such cases will be reported to headquarters and orders will be given thereupon.

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By command of Major-General Hunter:

CHAS. G. HALPINE,
Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF WEST VIRGINIA, Cedar Creek, May 23, 1864.

Major General FRANZ SIGEL,

Commanding Reserve Division, &c., Martinsburg, W. Va.:

GENERAL: I am instructed by the major-general commanding to represent to you that many regiments of this command are greatly crippled from the fact that large detachments of picked men have been drawn from them who are now on duty at other posts. Thus at Beverly there is a very large force of the picked men and officers