[Inclosure Numbers 1.]

RALEIGH, N. C.,

October 26, 1863.

Governor BONHAM:

General Vance, commanding in Western North Carolina, has been attacked by a large force of the enemy, and has sent to me and to your city for ammunition. It will reach him from your place twenty-four hours sooner than from Raleigh, but writes me that the officer sent to Columbia was not commissioned, and might be refused on that account. Please assist him should this be so.

Yours,

Z. B. VANCE.

[Inclosure Numbers 2.]

COLUMBIA, October 27, 1863.

His Excellency Governor BONHAM:

DEAR SIR: The citizens of Greenville have appointed me to visit Columbia and lay before you the information which they have received of a threatened invasion from the enemy, now represented to be in force at Warm Springs, N. C., at which point, on Thursday last, a force of 150 men, under Major Woodfin, a part of General Vance's command, were repulsed by the enemy and several killed and wounded of our party; among them (the killed is Major Woodfin, it is supposed, as he was seen to fall from his horse and is missing. Lieutenant Merryman, of the staff of General Vance, who accompanied me to Columbia, as well as other gentlemen of Asheville, N. C., have given us the facts as sully as possible to ascertain, and they are these, in addition: Major Woodfin captured 3 or 4 of the enemy's pickets, this side of Warm Springs, who had on the Federal uniform and represented themselves as Federal soldiers; they stated that there were 500 Federals at Warm Springs, and a force of 5,000 between that point at Greeneville, Tenn., which has been for some time now in possession of the enemy.

General Vance had in all about 500 men, mostly raw troops, conscripts, and stragglers from the army collected together.

Your Excellency is aware of the serious disaffection in no inconsiderable portion of the population in the mountain counties of Western North Carolina, and which extends in some degree even over the line of this State near the mountains, which region has been the resort of large numbers of deserters from our army.

The progress of the enemy would be facilitated by that sort of population. The temptation to attack and destroy the various factories, iron works, and mills in the districts of Spartanburg and Greenville, as well as the State Armory at the town of Greenville, is a great one to the enemy, and they are fully apprised of the condition of our section. The town of Greenville is the nearest point of importance inviting attack, which, if if comes, must be destructive to all the concerns mentioned, which are of more importance to the State and to the Confederacy than to the companies and parties to whom the property belongs.

Your Excellency is well aware of the helpless and defenseless state of our section, owing to the want of arms and any sort of organization, and the impossibility of immediate remedy. We are obliged to look for the protection of the was interests involved for this

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