My plan would be to have the best officers of the Missouri State Militia to recruit for these regiments, with the understanding that a certain number of men should entitle them to a lieutenancy, a captaincy, or field officer in the organizations recruited for. In this manner and with the usual veteran bounty I believe most of the Missouri State Militia can be saved to the service. My observation here induces the conviction that it would be far better for the State and the U. S. service to have only two organizations, viz U. S. volunteers and regular State militia. We shall certainly get from the Missouri State Militia two regiments of volunteers (Thirteenth and Fourteenth Missouri Cavalry Volunteers), and perhaps three. If this measure should meet your views, the quicker acted upon the better, as the Missouri State Militia commenced going out of service the 20th of this month, and by June most of them will have been mustered out, leaving the State almost entirely destitute of troops. In their recruitment I should request that authority be given me to consolidate the old regiments into battalions when deemed necessary.

I understand that this plan meets the views of the incoming Governor of this State, and the only difficulty I see in the way is in getting the regiments named from the field. Until they arrive here it would be almost impossible for me to send away those to replace them. As you are aware, I have sent to Generals Thomas, Dana, and Reynolds every organized regiment of infantry except one, and every regiment of volunteer cavalry but three, that I had in the department. The abandonment of Northwest Arkansas, Fort Smith, Fort Gibson, and Fayetteville leaves that country open, and it will require a much larger force to protect Southwest Missouri in the spring than I now have.

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

G. M. DODGE,

Major-General.

GENERAL ORDERS,
WAR DEPT., ADJT. GENERAL'S OFFICE, Numbers 305.
Washington, December 27, 1864.

REGULATIONS CONCERNING MONEYS TAKEN FROM SOLDIERS AT DRAFT RENDEZVOUS.

1. A paymaster will be stationed at such of the draft rendezvous as the Adjutant-General may designate.

2. When an enlisted man arrives at a draft rendezvous, any money he may have with him exceeding $20 will be taken and placed in the hands of the paymaster, who shall enter the amount on a check book, to be given to the soldier at the time his money is taken. The entry will be certified in the check book as the correct amount due the man by the officer commanding the draft rendezvous, or some officer to whom he shall assign that duty, and by the paymaster. The same amount will be entered on the muster and descriptive list of the soldier.

3. A monthly list of names of men from whom money is taken, with regiments to which they are assigned, amounts taken, and the name of the paymaster to whom the amounts were turned over, shall be made out by the commanding officer of the draft rendezvous, and sent by him to the Adjutant-General and to the Paymaster-General. All desertions, deaths, and discharges will be carefully noted on these lists.