report to me. He is said to be very efficient. I regard the artillery ordnance train as belonging to the Second Corps, and take it for granted I am not infringing upon the rights of others. Of course I do not interfere with General Long's staff officers-Captain Gregory, for instance-but the wagons belong to the Second Corps, I think. Please let me know what you think. These wagons will be needed to some extent to serve as transportation.

Very respectfully, yours,

T. H. CARTER,

Colonel, Commanding Artillery.

HDQRS. ARTY. CORPS, ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA, Marh 18, 1865.

Lieutenant Colonel W. H. TAYLOR,
Assistant Adjutant-General:

COLONEL: I have the honor to submit for the consideration of the commanding general the following facts and recommendation touching the efficiency of our field artillery for the approaching campaign:

First, Owing to wear and tear of service and casualties of battle, our material for this arm, especially the animals, is becoming so reduced as to render impracticable the full re-equipment of all our batteries. It becomes therefore necessary to assign some of the organizations that have served as field artillery to such other duty as may be most suitable and useful. To this end a certain degree of discrimination between different commands must be exercised and this unavoidably involves liability to error and something of injustice. It shall be my effort, however, to do justice as far as possible to all parties in the recommendations I am about to make, while aiming to secure the best interests of the service.

Second. I respectfully recommend that the battalion commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel King and Major McLaughlin in General Early's Valley campaign and now foraging its animals near Dublin Depot, Lynchburg and Tennessee Railroad, under Major McLaughlin, be withdrawn from the field and assigned to the defense of Fort Clifton, Major McLaughlin commanding. The grounds of this recommendation are that some of the artillery embraced in the misfortunes of that Valley campaign must relinquish field equipment, and this command, although entitled to great praise for gallant and faithful service, is conceded to be surpassed in claim to equipment by the other battalions that seared with it through that eventful campaign. This is the judgment of General Long and Colonel Carter and is candidly concurred in by Lieutenant-Colonel King. Major McLaughlin is a vigorous and gallant officer who will make, it is believed, an efficient commander at Fort Clifton, and it may be well not only to give him that command, but to accord him in connection with it an additional grade. Lieutenant-Colonel King prefers another position, to be presently mentioned.

Third. The remnant of a Maryland battery under Captain Chew, McIntosh's battalion, I respectfully recommend to be consolidated with another Maryland battery [Griffin's], Breathed's battalion horse artillery. Captain Chew has already formally applied for this union and assures me it will be agreeable to the other company. The two together will only make one good strong company. Questions concerning officers are at present mainly obviated by one captain and one or two lieutenants being prisoners in hands of the enemy. Those questions can afterward be adjusted.