| Headquarters Military Division of the West |
| In the Field |
| Gadsden, Ala. |
| October 24, 1864 |
| |
| General S. Cooper |
| Adjutant and Inspector General |
| Richmond, Va. |
| |
| General, |
| I shall leave to-day about 12 m. to join
General Hood, who is now en route to the vicinity of
Guntersville, on the Tennessee River. At what time and place the army will cross future events will
determine. The army of General Sherman is on the road between Dalton
and Gadsden, and his advance forces are about fifteen miles distant from
Gadsden. |
| In view of the present movement a change
of base has become necessary, and orders have accordingly been
issued transferring it from Jacksonville
to Tuscumbia, on the Memphis & Charleston Railroad. To secure
our lines of communication and an uninterrupted source of supplies,
Lieutenant-General Taylor has been directed to place in complete
running order the Mobile
& Ohio
and the Memphis & Charleston Railroads from Corinth
to Tuscumbia, and that all supplies and troops for the army be sent
by that route. He has been directed to garrison Corinth and Bear
Creek and protect the important points along these lines by
block-houses and field-works, with one or more companies of infantry
at each. Post officers have been assigned at Tuscumbia, and it has
been suggested to General Taylor to assign Brigadier-General Adams,
now at Talladega, to the command at Corinth. |
| Major-General Forrest, as soon as he has
executed his instructions in the destruction of the Northwestern
railroad from Nashville
to the Tennessee, has been ordered to report immediately to General Hood, in Middle
Tennessee, for orders. |
| General Taylor has likewise been
instructed to confer with their Excellencies Governors Clark, of Mississippi, and Watts, of
Alabama, in order to obtain such State troops and militia as may be
necessary to secure and protect the important points along our
railroad communications. The railroad from Memphis
to Corinth
{part of the Memphis & Charleston RR} will be destroyed and the iron removed for the purpose of supplying
our wants elsewhere. The road to Jacksonville
will also be completed {the first part of the
extension of the Alabama & Tennessee Rivers RR -- usually called
the Blue Mountain RR}, but the rolling-stock will be gradually
reduced to the amount used therein prior to the present movement
from Jonesborough, and transferred to such roads as may require it
for the exigencies of the army. |
| Major-General Smith, chief of engineers,
has been instructed to confer with General Taylor for the purpose of
securing our railroad lines by the proper field-works and
block-houses, and also establish such works on the Tennessee River
between Eastport and Florence as will guard it against navigation by the enemy. To make this the
more effectual, torpedoes will be placed at proper points. These
batteries will be armed by 20 and 30 pounder Parrott and rifled
guns, will protect the torpedoes, and effectually obstruct the
passage of gun-boats. The guns will be protected by strong and heavy
traverses. Every precaution possible has been taken to cover our
lines of communication and render successful the great object of
this campaign. |
| ***** |
| I am, general, respectfully, your obedient servant, |
| G. T. Beauregard |
| General |
|