and furnished with two good guns for the Mattapony, like those sent for the Pamunkey, I will issue orders to that effect immediately, unless your order otherwise.

The two Blakely guns are below at Glenn`s Bluff, and could not be sent back this morning. They shall be forwarded as early as practicable. We want the best of telegraphic operators here, and have an unpracticed one. Your messages were delayed twenty-four hours.

The enemy are now in strong force at Yorktown and Gloucester Point.

HENRY A. WISE,

Brigadier-General.

GREENVILLE, N. C., June 9, 1863.

Major-General HILL,

Comdg. Dept. of Va. and N. C., Petersburg, Va.:

GENERAL: I returned from Hamilton this morning and found your letter of June 8.

I will move to Kinston as soon as I am satisfied Foster is making a real advance. I think he will not advance unless the Yankee army meet with decided success at Vicksburg or elsewhere.

Later in the day your letter of the 5th [received], informing me that Cooke had left Kinston, and wishing a courier line established to Rocky Mount.

I found that Colonel [Joel R.] Griffin had returned. He says he crossed the Chowan River last Saturday night near Colerain; that the enemy are not building a wharf at Dillard`s farm, and that they have no artillery at Gatesville, and only about 200 cavalry.

If you want Griffin`s regiment, I think I can get along with three companies, or perhaps two of it. If you do not send him to Virginia, I think he had better go to Colerain or vicinity, in charge of all the troops across the Roanoke. I would like to know, if you can tell me, whether Colquitt would be likely to magnify the appearances of the enemy`s advance or not.

I am, general, very truly, yours,

J. G. MARTIN,

Brigadier-General.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF WESTERN VIRGINIA, Dublin, June 9, 1863.

General R. E. LEE:

On looking over my letter of the 7th instant* to your military secretary, I have thought the last paragraph may seem somewhat too abrupt. I therefore write in haste, just as I am about to start to Saltville, to mention one of the several reasons why I cannot, at this time, detach any more troops from my department without orders from the War Department.

I have very positive information that the enemy has recently mounted two additional regiments in the Kanawha Valley.

They probably contemplate a raid on a large scale on this line of railroad. They outnumbered me in cavalry before mounting these last two regiments.

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* See p. 867.

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