HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF THE FRONTIER,
Fort Smith, Ark., January 9, 1865-6 p. m.

Lieutenant Colonel W. D. GREEN,

Assistant Adjutant-General, Little Rock:

SIR: On the 2nd instant I received from Colonel Harrison, commanding First Arkansas Cavalry at Fayetteville, a copy of a dispatch to him, as follows:

WASHINGTON CITY, December 31, 1864.

COMMANDING OFFICER AT FAYETTEVILLE, ARK.:

I am told to-dy by the highest authority that Fort Smith is not to be evacuated. What are your advices from that point? Answer at once.

A. W. BISHOP.

And on the 8th instant I received the following from the same sources:

WASHINGTON, January 6, 1865.

Colonel M. LARUE HARRISON,

Fayetteville, Ark.:

The order is countermanded by order of the President.

A. W. BISHOP.

I have not permitted these dispatches to cause any delay in my movements. A portion of my train from Fort Scott, with one regiment, has arrived, and the balance of the train and troops are expected here to-morrow. I have sent the cavalry brigade to Clarksville, also two infantry regiments and 100 loaded wagons. I have ordered that train to unload at Clarksville and return here. I shall start another train of 100 wagons on the 13th, directing it to go through to Lewisburg, and return to Clarksville for the stores taken from the 100 wagons unloaded there. This will give me additional transportation to the amount of 100 wagons from here to Lewisburg, and still I shall have to destroy considerable valuable property, all of which could be saved if boats could be sent up here. The River is again very high. If possible, I wish to have 120 tons of forage sent to Lewisburg, and 80 tons to Clarksville. I shall have subsistence sufficient to last my command until the 25th instant, no longer, as I have taken most of the supplies from Fort Gibson, and I cannot get away from here before the 18th instant, if I have to wait for my train to return from Clarksville or wait for boats from Little Rock. Should I receive an order countermanding the evacuation of this district, the troops will be on shore rations and much in need of everything before supplies can possibly reach them, unless the major-general commanding the department thinks best to send up subsistence and forage on this high water on the strength of the unofficial telegrams here in before mentioned, and if he should not do so I shall probably be compelled to leave herefore the want of supplies. I therefore urgently request that al the boats (five) be sent up at once, and then the evacuation of this place will not result in much loss to the Government, and the people to whom the Government owes protection will be enabled to get away. The River has risen five feet in the last twenty-four hours, and still rising at the rate often inches per hour. I will probably rise as high as it did on the 20th ultimo. It is now but two feet and a half flower than then, and rain continues. I sent a dispatch to-day by land, in which I stated that I could get away without having to destroy much of anything, but in the statement I overlooked the fact that the quartermaster has 150 wagons for which he has no mules, and will consequently have to be destroyed, unless the can be transported by the River. If the boats come up and remove the balance of the public stores, forty tons of forage sent to