the river and concentrate. The affair at Maryville turned out of small consequence; nobody killed or wounded on our side, and only 18 or 20 captured, some of whom have since escaped; the rest, it is stated, have been paroled by the enemy.

TILLSON.

[Inclosure Numbers 3.]

KNOXVILLE, August 24, 1864.

Lieutenant REED, Loudon:

We have captured one of General Humes' body guard. He tells a straightforward, truthful story, apparently. He says the enemy's force consists of Humes' division, Ashby's and Harrison's brigades, Kelly's division, Robertson's and Iverson's brigades, and Williams' independent brigade, in all, from twenty-five to thirty regiments and nine pieces of artillery. He says they expected to join Morgan at the Plains and make for Middle Tennessee.

DAVIS TILLSON,

Brigadier-General.

SPECIAL ORDERS,
WAR DEPT., ADJT. GENERAL'S OFFICE, Numbers 279.
Washington, August 24, 1864.

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19. Permission to remain at Carlinville, Ill., until further orders, is hereby granted Major General John M. Palmer, U. S. Volunteers.

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By order of the Secretary of War:

E. D. TOWNSEND,
Assistant Adjutant-General.

SPECIAL FIELD ORDERS,
HDQRS. MIL. DIV. OF THE MISS.,
In the Field, near Atlanta, Ga., Numbers 60.
August 24, 1864.

It being represented by A. W. Smith, special agent of the Post-Office Department, that the mail cars are daily encumbered with about fifty men, detailed by divisions, brigades, and regiments, who profess to be after their mails, but are in reality engaged in traffic, it is ordered:

I. The special agent of the Post-Office Department will be bring the army mail to the nearest practicable point by rail to the army and there deliver the bags only to corps messengers, duly appointed by a corps order, approved by the army commander.

II. Each army corps commander will arrange to receive his mail of the agent of the Post-Office Department at the end of the railroad, and will have it brought to his headquarters and there distributed to divisions, brigades, and regiments, according to his own plan.

III. Army commanders, viz, Cumberland, Tennessee, and Ohio, may send special messengers through to Nashville, Chattanooga, and Knoxville and back, but these must confine their business to that defined in their written orders. The same privilege cannot be conceded to any others, because we have not the facilities of the army.

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By order of Major General W. T. Sherman:

L. M. DAYTON,

Aide-de-Camp.