The of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad beyond Fairfax Station. commanding officer at Alexandria will be instructed to guard the part of the road between Fairfax Station and Alexandria. Please acknowledge. General WILLIAMS, S. WILLIAMS, Assistant Adjutant-General. WARRENTON, March 29, 1862. Assistant Adjutant-General, Seminary: Your telegram has been received and the necessary orders issued to the commanding officer at Manassas to insure protection to the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. E. V. SUMNER, Brigadier-General, U. S. Army, Commanding Second Corps. ALEXANDRIA, VA., March 29, 1862-9 p. m. General E. V. SUMNER, Warrenton Junction: You are authorized to make the movement on Warrenton proposed to-morrow and occupy the town. S. WILLIAMS, Assistant Adjutant-General. HEADQUARTERS FIRST ARMY CORPS, Maj. Gen. GEORGE B. MCCLELLAN, Commanding Army of the Potomac: GENERAL: I inclose a copy of my Special Orders, No. 5, of March 23, 1862, and of a letter from Brigadier General Woodbury of this date, in reference to the means of landing my command on the Lower Chesapeake. It will be seen from General Woodbury's letter that the means on which he has been relying are beyond his reach and under an officer not subject to his or my control. It will therefore be necessary to make such arrangements at the Headquarters of the Army of the Potomac as shall effect the object indicated in my special order, herewith, and that these means be so placed, or the person in charge of them so ordered, that there shall be no failure when the First Corps shall have occasion to laud. I have the honor to be, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, IRVIN MCDOWELL, Major-General, Commanding First Army Corps. (Indorsement.] STEAMER COMMODORE, March 31, 1862. The fact that an order of the purport of General McDowell's Special Order, No. 5, had been issued by him was communicated to the com. 4 R R-VOL XI, PT III manding general (by telegram March 23, I think) by me, and that it had been issued so as to systematize and commit to one competent person the making of all preparations for a landing. The reply of the commanding general indicated that he had dispatched part of the means relied on to Fort Monroe, and caused me to presume that he meant to keep the whole subject subject to his decision after arriving at Fort Monroe. If it is decided that McDowell's corps is to land, and where it is to land, it would certainly be desirable that he should have all his means with him, and it was on this supposition that General McDowell is supposed to have issued the order. As a large part of the means are, however, presumed to be ordered to Fort Monroe, and there has been some unavoidable causes for so doing, General Woodbury's suggestion seems a proper one. Whether after arriving at Fort Monroe my duties will permit me to give much personal attention to collecting craft is doubtful, nor do I know whether Captain Duane will be free for this matter. Would it not be well with the two companies General Woodbury proposes to send to send also the colonel of the New York Fifteenth, a sailor, and well qualified for the collection and management of the scows, &c., which will be collected there. SPECIAL ORDERS, No. 5. [Inclosure 1.] J. G. BARNARD, HEADQUARTERS FIRST ARMY CORPS, I. Captain Duane, Engineers, will report for duty with his battalion to Brigadier-General Woodbury, who is with his brigade, now attached to Franklin's division. II. Brigadier-General Woodbury is charged with the duty of providing the necessary means of landing a large body of infantry, artillery, and cavalry, with their stores and munitions, from a fleet of transports to the shore, other than such as the Quartermaster's Department may supply, in the way of light-draught steamboats, the number and draught of which he will ascertain and include in his calculations. It is contemplated embarking the three divisions of the First Corps together, and it is intended they should be disembarked as rapidly as possible and go immediately into action. The Navy is to protect the landing with its armed vessels. As General Woodbury is aware of the possible places where the landing is to be effected, he will take into account the depth of water and the draught of the transports and the distance they will have to lie from the shore. By command of Major-General McDowell: SAML. BRECK, Assistant Adjutant-General. [Inclosure 2.1 HEADQUARTERS, &C., March 29, 1862. Major-General MCDOWELL, Commanding First Army Corps, Alexandria, Va.: GENERAL: Many of the flats and other craft and all the wooden pontoons required to land men and guns rapidly are now at Fort Monroe. Such of these vessels, large and small, as are to be used for the service in question, and are not to be sent back to this place, should be collected at Fort Monroe and put in order for that service. I propose to send down two companies of the Fiftieth Regiment New York Volunteers to Fort Monroe to assist in the necessary preparations. I suggest that General McClellan direct Brigadier-General Barnard to give his personal attention to these preparations, and that one or more of the engineer officers attached to the battalion of Captain Duane be detailed for this special service. Respectfully, D. P. WOODBURY. [STEAMER] COMMODORE, March 29, 1862. Major-General MCCLELLAN: The transports containing Gorman's brigade have left. The remainder of Hunt's artillery reserve is afloat. All the regular cavalry except the Second Regiment has now embarked. Colonel Ingalls expects to have Casey's division off by to-morrow, except, perhaps, the artillery, and he says that by retaining the transports now here, and including those expected within the next two or three days, and those that take down Casey's division, which are expected to return within sixty hours, he can embark the First Army Corps by Wednesday next. Hooker's division can be embarked on Monday and Tuesday if no other troops are sent after to-morrow. S. WILLIAMS, Assistant Adjutant-General. FORT MONROE, VA., March 30, 1862–9.30 p. m. Hon. E. M. STANTON, A northeast storm raging. The great guns are ready for efficient action. The fleet of steam rams is ready to receive the Merrimac. She will probably come out when the storm abates, but may remain at Norfolk until McClellan places his army and supplies upon transports; but she can do no harm. The troops are arriving and debarking slowly. If the Merrimac does not come out to-morrow I will return, unless you desire me to remain. Telegraph instructions. P. H. WATSON, Assistant Secretary of War. WARRENTON JUNCTION, March 30, 1862. ASSISTANT ADJUTANT-GENERAL, Headquarters : Colonel Farnsworth, Eighth Illinois Cavalry, with eleven companies of his regiment, is in advance, scouting toward the Rappahannock. A brigade is in hand to support him, if necessary. In addition to the three officers reported captured yesterday there are two others now absent a lieutenant and an assistant surgeon-who are supposed to have been taken prisoners by the enemy's scouts. They left camp without any authority whatever. Stringent orders have been promul gated to the corps with reference to straggling. General Orders, No. 10, March 30, prescribes that no officer or enlisted man shall pass the guards of the bivouac excepting by special permission from these headquarters or when on duty. To insure that all remain within their regimental and company lines roll calls are held every hour during the day until tattoo throughout the entire corps. Some few privates are reported as captured by the flying scouts of the enemy. These scouts are, it is supposed, in league with the people living in our vicinity, and it is impossible to decide whether a farmer is a bona fide farmer or a Confederate soldier in farmer's clothes. E. V. SUMNER, Brigadier General, Commanding Second Corps. WARRENTON JUNCTION, VA., General S. WILLIAMS, Assistant Adjutant-General. Colonel Farnsworth, with his regiment (Eighth Illinois Cavalry), has returned from a reconnaissance toward the Rappahannock River. He penetrated to the nigh ground above the burned bridge, and saw no enemy. He reports that the country is clear between this point and the river. From information derived by questioning the people in the vicinity of his route he is of the opinion that the enemy has retired to the Rapidan. E. V. SUMNER, Brigadier-General, U. S. Army. WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington City, D. C., March 31, 1862. Major-General MCCLELLAN : EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War. HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, Hon. E. M. STANTON : Dispatch in reference to Blenker's division received. Am I at liberty to move Richardson's division here for embarkation, leaving Blenker to be relieved by Banks, or must Richardson wait? The last arrange. ment would delay my operations. Shall Blenker move to Harper's Ferry via Washington? GEO. B. MCCLELLAN, WARRENTON JUNCTION, March 31, 1862-p. m. General S. WILLIAMS: I would respectfully ask to be informed what I am to understand by the withdrawal of the two principal divisions from my army corps, and leaving me the German division only, which, in my opinion, is the least effective division in the whole army. E. V. SUMNER, Brigadier-General, U. S. Army, Commanding Second Corps. *See also the President to McClellan on this subject, Series I, Vol. V, pp. 58, 62. General E. V. SUMNER, MARCH 31, 1862-8.50 p. m. Commanding Second Corps, Warrenton Junction: By order of the President Blenker's division is to join General Fré- mont. I shall replace it by a division under General Mansfield. The purpose of withdrawing the two divisions of your corps is to con- centrate your corps in the field of active operations under your personal command. You will receive further instructions to-morrow. In the mean time please have Richardson's division ready to move back in the Your telegram of 8.50 p. m. is received. Richardson's and Blenker's divisions are at this point, in bivouac. I had intended, under previous orders, to have sent on the arrival of General Abercrombie's to-morrow |