you that you can occupy Fredericksburg with such force as in your judgment may be necessary to hold it for defensive purpose, but not with a view to make a forward movement.

General Abercrombie has been ordered to report to you. He will be relieved from duty, and General Hartsuff is ordered to take his place. Brigadier-General Gibbon has yet been confirmed.

Charles McClure has just been confirmed as commissary. The Adjutant-General says I must see the Commissary-General on the subject of his being ordered to replace Captain Sanderson, in General Patrick's brigade. I will attend to this.

The Adjutant-General informed me that he would not allow Lieutenant Campbell to be relieved from duty in General King's division.

The Governor of Pennsylvania has asked to have---relieved from duty on account of his intemperate habits. As soon as General Cadwalader is confirmed he will be ordered to take General

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's command.

The Paymaster-General says Major McDowell is now with the large army under General Halleck, and his services are very important, but as soon as the present press is over he will try to bring Major McDowell here by exchange.

The Secretary of War asked me to come and see him again to-morrow. I will leave here Friday morning.

I am, general, yours, very respectfully,

H. VAN RENSSELAER,

Inspector-General, U. S. Army.

P. S.- General Ricketts is anxious to take command of a brigade. He is going to mount his horse to-day, and will let me know to-morrow if he is fit to take the field.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE RAPPAHANNOCK,
Opposite Fredericksburg, April 30-11.30 p.m.

Honorable E. M. STANTON,

Secretary of War:

Four very intelligent men-two of them Pennsylvania one a Virginian, and one a Marylander-have just come in from the enemy in our front, and have given me precise, and I believe reliable, information as to the strength, position, and intentions of the enemy. One body, under the command of General Joseph R. Andderson, of the Tredegar Iron Works, is at Guiney's Station, on the railroad, 14 miles from Fredericksburg. He has the Second and Seventh Virginia, the First South Carolina Volunteers, and the First South Carolina Volunteers for the war-in all, four regiments and a Louisiana battalion. One battery, the Letcher Artillery, composed of two brass 6-pounders, two brass 12-pounder howitzers, and two 10-pounder Parrott guns. The artillery company is new and uninstructed. Besides this he has four other pieces, not yet provided with horses, and about 150 horsemen, badly armed. The artillery came up from Richmond, the South Carolina regiments from Yorktown, and General Anderson from North Carolina-all last Friday. This force is represented as being posted in front of what is called Swamp Marsh; the roads behind it very bad. Another body, under General Field, is at Stone Mills, about the same distance from Fredericksburg as Anderson, and about 7 miles west of Guiney's Station, with a road communicating between the two. Field has the