In the plan for regulating the quarter-master’s department, there is a list of officers to whom forage shall be allowed; but the enumeration is very defective. Many officers who had very just claims to forage were omitted; but to whom either their stations, or the nature of the duties required of them, rendered the issuing of forage apparently proper. All the characters marked with an o were omitted. To remove all doubts in future, and that the issues of forage may be reduced to the most oeconomical allowances, consistent with the service, I beg your Excellency will take the trouble of examining the inclosed list, in which I have endeavoured to enumerate all the characters which will in future have any pretensions to public forage. If your Excellency will be pleased to march, in the vacant column, the issues which you judge proper to be made, I will then report the same to Congress for a permanent establishment.

Altho’ Congress evidently intended that the establishments for a "seperate army" should apply to the southern army, yet the provisions for the former being inadequate to the duties of some officers in the latter, I have considered and marked these as omitted. I have the honour to be with the greatest respect your Excellency’s most obedient servant