Special Order Head Quarters 4th Regt. V.V.J.
U.S. A.
No. [unreadable] Charleston Va. Sept 5. 1862
[unreadable] Nutter Comdg 153rd and Col. Cunningham Comdg. 80th Regt Va. State Militia will immediately return with their commands to their respective districts and there at once disband them. The Commander of the above Regts will before do all they can toward gaining any information in reference to the movements, strengths & of an enemy in case one should present itself in this section. To do this it is not necessary that a standing force should be maintained at any particular point, but the men will act as scouts on the different roads and by roads leading through their neighborhoods taking care that no parties of the enemy, either large or small pass through that section which each Company of Militia [unreadable] take to guard. As guerilla usually move from place to place in small parties, meeting at appointed places of rendegrous [sic] when necessary [sic] to concentrate, it is of the greatest importance that the number composing these parties as well as the number of parties are known, and also the direction in which they are moving.
All this can be easily learned by the Militia by the exercise of a little care and judgement [sic] as they are perfectly acquainted [unreadable] the topography of the country, the [unreadable]. All information gained by these scouts will reported at once to these Head Quarters. Important information will be reduced by a commissioned officer of the Militia to visiting [?] and he will also give his opinion as regards the reliability of the information
W.H.H. Russell
Lt Col Comgd Regt Post
Transcription by Brittani Lynch, undergraduate student enrolled in Dr. Billy Joe Peyton's Fall 2010 "Introduction to Public History" at West Virginia State University