jection to such order and will see that their request be complied with should such order be sent to me.

I send these dispatches by my brother, A. J. Butler, who desires to be of any service, and will return with any order from the Department or General Scott.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

BENJ. F. BUTLER,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.

GRAFTON, VA., May 8, 1861.

Honorable SIMON CAMERON, Secretary of War, Washington:

DEAR SIR: You will see by Governor Letcher's late proclamation that Grafton is made a point for the concentration of the State volunteers. This has been arranged by the secession leaders in order to intimidate us, as this is one of the strongest Union towns in this section of the State. There is no avowed secessionist in our town, and our people are very indignant at the Proclamation of the governor, and are rapidly preparing to resist the entrance of troops un loyal to the Star-Spangled Banner into our town. I saw Mr. Carlile on Monday evening, and he informed me that there would be five thousand stand of arms at or opposite Wheeling in a few days, but unless some arrangement can be made with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, it will be very inconvenient for us to get them from there, a distance of one hundred miles. Can anything be done for us? We are now enrolling men and drilling every day, collecting such arms as may be had, and manufacturing cartridges, &c., and preparing for a fight if Governor Letcher's troops attempt to occupy our town.

Mr. Carlile opposes our being mustered into the United States service for home protection, but I cannot see why, and I do decidedly favor that plan, and can make a good company here for that purpose if thought advisable.

The Union men of Northwestern Virginia are becoming more firm every day. They want to see secession put down and the leaders hung, and I think, with a very little help and a good marshal, we are now about ready to take those among us. As an evidence of this, Judge Camden, who has been appointed to the Montgomery Congress, is not allowed to speak in his own town-Clarksburg, Harrison County-and in Morgantown, at a general muster on last Saturday, the regiment drove the colonel and brigadier-general (secessionists) from the field.

Yours, very truly, &c.,

GEO. R. LATHAM.

FREDERICK, May 8, 1861.

To COMMANDING OFFICER at Relay House:

We are threatened with an invasion from Baltimore conjoined with traitors in our midst. We expect upwards of one hundred men from Baltimore to-night, and their friends are preparing to meet them here. Send us five hundred men by first train, with power to arrest and disarm. Answer immediately.

M. NELSON,

Judge of Court of Frederick County.