Today in History:

631 Series I Volume XI-III Serial 14 - Peninsular Campaign Part III

Page 631 Chapter XXIII. CORRESPONDENCE, ETC.-CONFEDERATE.

RICHMOND, VA., July 4, 1862.

Major General T. H. HOLMES,

Drewry's Bluff, Va.:

Governor Clark telegraphs that General Martin, with 2,000 men, now at Kinston, can be spared. Order them on without delay. They had better come here.

G. W. RANDOLPH,

Secretary of War.

RICHMOND, VA., July 4, 1862.

Lieutenant Colonel J. S. PRESTON,

Commanding Camp of Instruction, Columbia, S. C.:

Our losses here are so heavy and our necessities so great that the order directing conscripts to be sent to Charleston is suspended until the South Carolina regiments here are recruited. Send your conscripts here in parties of 100 or 200 as rapidly as you can get them. If necessary, send drill officers in charge of them.

G. W. RANDOLPH,

Secretary of War.

RICHMOND, VA., July 4, 1862.

Major J. B. DORMAN, Dublin Depot, Va.,

Major P. MALLETT, Raleigh, N. C.,

Major JOHN DUNWODY, Calhoun, via Dalton, Ga.:

Heavy losses have been sustained in the recent operations before this city, and there are other operations of great importance now in progress which will still further exhaust our army, Recruits are much needed from your State. You will therefore hasten the enrollment of conscripts as much as possible, and send the conscripts here in parties of 100 or 200 as rapidly as you can get them in. We have no time now to prepare them for the field as carefully as we wish.

Send them under charge of your drill officers if you cannot get officers detailed for the duty. They will be assigned here to their regiment if they have not already been assigned.

G. W. RANDOLPH,

Secretary of War.

RICHMOND, July 5, 1862.

R. E. LEE, General, &c.:

GENERAL: I have this moment received yours of yesterday, with sketch of the position occupied by the enemy near to the mouth of Herring Creek.*

It is a hard necessity to be compelled to allow him time to recover from his discomfiture and to receive re-enforcements, but under the circumstances it must be regarded as necessary.

I fully concur with you as to the impropriety of exposing our brave and battle-thinned troops to the fire of the gunboats while attacking a force numerically superior and having the advantage of so strong a position as that held by the enemy.

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*Not found.

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Page 631 Chapter XXIII. CORRESPONDENCE, ETC.-CONFEDERATE.