Mississippi Department, and to say that upon a similar application from officers of General Wharton's command he returned the following answer:

The department commander is anxious to cross troops to the east side of the Mississippi River. He knows and has experienced the difficulties to be encountered in effecting it. He believes that it is now impracticable, but if accomplished it can only be done by the individual consent and co-operation of the men comprising the command. If any Regiment, brigade, or division can be found in which a majority of the men are willing to cross the Mississippi and will give their individual efforts to make the attempt successful, General Wharton is authorized to transfer officers and men, filing up the commands that desire to go from the regiments which are to remain, and transferring those who do not desire to go to the regiments which remain behind.

He directs me to say that these are his views upon the subject, and that you are authorized to act in accordance therewith.

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

W. R. BOGGS,

Brigadier-General and Chief of Staff.

HEADQUARTERS TRANS-MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT,
Shreveport, La., February 16, 1865.

Lieutenant General S. B. BUCKNER,

Commanding District of West Louisiana, Natchitoches:

GENERAL: The general commanding directs that you will order Colonel Likens with his Regiment to report to Major-General Wharton at Hempstead, Tex. He is determined to dismount a large portion of the cavalry, and to prevent complaints has selected regiments from each command and has taken those most recently organized. Likens' is a new Regiment and will be dismounted. Bagby's old Regiment, the Seventh Texas, will be ordered to report to you in place of Likens'. He desires to know to what point you wish the Seventh Texas ordered and he will send telegraphic instructions for it to move at once. As an additional reason for ordering the Seventh Texas, to you he desires me to say that a Bagby's appointment has not as yet been confirmed, his own Regiment should constitute a portion of his command. He has also directed that the Regiment of Colonel Peter Hardeman be dismounted, and desires that you will order it to report to Major-General Wharton, at Hempstead, unless it is now in the vicinity of Crockett, Tex., in which case he will send telegraphic instructions from here. In reply to your letter concerning the disposition of King's brigade, he desires me to say that he had determined to order King's old Regiment (now in Forney's division) to Hempstead for the same reasons as mentioned in the case of the Seventh Texas, in order that it might constitute a portion of his command; King's Regiment will be replaced by Chisum's Regiment, which he intends to dismount, and is now en route for this place; that he desires to break up the present brigade commanded by General King and distribute the regiments in the third brigade formed by dismounting the cavalry, of which General King will command one and General Harrison the other, the old regiments of each being placed in their respective brigades. He desires me also to say that you can move Forney's division to Natchitoches whenever you wish to and he will replace it here by Churchill's.

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

W. R. BOGGS,

Brigadier-General and Chief of Staff.