Whitewater Register in Whitewater, Wisconsin

War Department creates two new Virginia departments

The War Department issues a bulletin creating two departments in Virginia. The Shenandoah department under Gen Banks covers the area between Harper's Ferry and North Carolina, while the Rappahannock department, under Gen McDowell, includes east of the Blue Ridge and west of the Potomac to the Fredericksburg and Richmond Railroad, plus the District of Columbia. McClellan holds a small eastern district near Richmond. Banks and McDowell gain mobility after long restraint, with expectations of active action against rebel forces. A separate report from New Albany notes Buell and Grant advancing on the Tennessee and a looming battle near Corinth, while rumors swirl about Santa Fé and Fort Union, with Texan forces likely limited in number.