ttee, General Casey sent the following letter:

"WASHINGTON, D. C., March 7, 1864.

"DEAR SIR: Yours of the 4th instant is received, and I have
directed the Secretary of the Board to attend to your request.

"It gives me great pleasure to learn that your School is
prospering, and I am also pleased to inform you that the Board of
which I am President has not as yet rejected one of your
candidates. I am gratified to see that the necessity of
procuring competent officers for the armies of the Republic is
beginning to be better appreciated by the public.

"I trust I shall never have occasion to regret my agency in
suggesting the formation of your School, and I am sure the
country owes your Committee much for the energy and judgment with
which it has carried it out. The liberality which opens its doors
to the young men of all the States is noble, and does honor to
those citizens of Philadelphia from whom its support is
principally derived.

"Truly yours,
"SILAS CASEY,
"_Major-General_.

"TO THOMAS WEBSTER, ESQ., _Chairman_,
"1210 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia."

In reference to applicants the following letter was written by the
Adjutant-General:

"GENERAL ORDERS, }
"No. 125." }

"WAR DEPARTMENT,"
"ADJUTANT-GEN.'S OFFICE,
"WASHINGTON, March 29, 1864.

"Furloughs, not to exceed thirty days in each case, to the
non-commissioned officers and privates of the army who may desire
to enter the Free Military School at Philadelphia, may be granted
by the Commanders of Armies and Departments, when the character,
conduct, and capacity of the applicants are such as to warrant
their immediate and superior commanders in recommending them for
commissioned appointments in the regiments of colored troops.

"By order of the Secretary of War.

"E. D. TOWNSEND,
"_Assistant Adjutant-General_."

The organization of the school was as follows:

_Chief Preceptor._

JOHN H. TAGGART

(Late Colonel 12th Regiment Pennsylvania Reserve Corps),
_Professor o