Headquarters Army of the Southwest
Little Rock, Arkansas July 1st 1862
Sir,
(1st) The organization of companies, of ten men or more, under provisions of Genl Orders No 17? will be reported to the Provost marshal of the divisions in which such companies were raised and by him to the Provost marshal General;
(2nd) When a company of ten or more men is raised, it will be under orders of Provost Marshal Genl, Division Provost Marshal, and County Provost marshal, but only to be used in their own region;
(3) Such companies will be "Independent" in the sense that they are not to be kept counstantly in service, but only when emergency requires, - in the sense that they are not to be moved out of their own region of Country, - and that they are not to be incorporated into other troops, in other respects they will be governed as other troops.
Respectfully
R. C. Newton
Chief of Staff
S. M. Scott, Esqr
Arkadelphia, Ark