impolitic orders, emanating from the lieutenant-colonel (McCausland) of the Kanawha Valley volunteer forces, it is my duty to complain to his excellency. These orders, in the name of the governor, call for drafting one or two hundred men in a county. This is unnecessary, and it harasses the people, because I find each county and regiment ready to furnish as many volunteers as it is prudent to take away from these western counties, in which there are many disaffected persons whom it is necessary to watch and restrain until our State can get rid of them or punish them. If the governor should require any number of men from my brigade to be draft, I ask that I may execute the governor's orders. Recently an irresponsible man, named Hutchinson, brought one of these little one hundred-men orders, and pretended he had authority to draft. These irregular attempts to draft I will oppose until the governor shall otherwise direct, with respect to drafting a company out of the One hundred and forty-second Fayette Regiment on any pretext such as that. The people of that gallant county will not volunteer. Their having three companies in the field for some time completely proves the injustice of these little irregular drafts. The truth is, these will greatly inure a general draft when required by the public exigencies, as may soon be.

With great respect, sir, your most obedient servant,

ALFRED BECKLEY,

Brigadier General, Commanding Twenty-seventh Brigade.

P. S.-The official return of brigade will be forwarded in a few days. Inclosed I send the certificate of election of a new company, formed last Saturday, of one hundred and thirteen men.

HEADQUARTERS,
Romney, Va., June 25, 1861.

Honorable L. P. WALKER, Secretary of War, Richmond, Va.:

SIR: On the 5th instant I had the honor to receive at the hands of the President the commission of colonel of cavalry in the Army of the Confederate States, accompanied by an order to perform certain services therein specified. On the 7th instant I reported myself to General Johnston, and exhibited to him the order alluded to. He informed me that such were the exigencies of his command that he could not spare a single man. Without some organized force, around which to rally volunteers, it was evidently vain for me to move towards the point at which the service was to be rendered, as I would have been pleased to have done with even one company of cavalry. Therefore I lost no time in sending out agents in the valley and Piedmont, and have met with success far beyond my most sanguine expectations, as this bids fair to become a popular arm of the service.

On the 15th Captain Turner Ashby, commanding a troop belonging to Colonel Hunton's regiment, reported that he had obtained from General Johnston permission to join his own regiment, and from Colonel Hunton he obtained permission to join my command on the 14th instant; therefore his troop joined me at Winchester. On the 17th Captain Gaither, with a troop of Marylanders, joined me at the same point, with troops to march to this place, to leave Winchester in the afternoon. In the mean time I learned that General Johnston's command was drawn up in line of battle, expecting an attack. This induced me to