OPERATIONS IN TEX., N. MEX., AND ARIZ. [CHAP. XI.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT Numbers 1, C. S. ARMY, New Orleans, La., July 24, 1861. HonorableL. P. WALKER, Secretary of War:

SIR: I have been credibly informed by gentlemen just from Galveston that the commander of the blockading ship before that place has demanded that he shall have free communication with the Union men ashore, and if denied he will shell the town. There are no heavy guns at Galveston; consequently it is at the mercy of the enemy. My aide-de-camp, Captain E. Higgins, late of the U. S. Navy, a most energetic and accomplished officer, volunteers to take to Galveston, via Berwick Bay, one or more 9-inch guns. By placing them in battery on the island he is confident that he can drive the ship off or sink her in twenty-four hours.

I have great confidence in Captain Higgins, and but for the exigency of the case would not consent to his leaving the city. Indeed, I have so high an opinion of his experience and skill, that I would gladly see him placed in charge of the naval defenses of this coast.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

D. W. TWIGGS, Major-General, Commanding.

STATE OF TEXAS, ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE, Austin, Texas, July 27, 1861.

Captain T. A. WASHINGTON, Asst. Adjt. General , San Antonio, Tex.:

SIR: I have the honor to inclose to you a copy of a communication received to-day from the War Department, by the governor of the State who wishes it to be brought to the knowledge of General Van Dorn.* The call is not explicit as to the nature of the arms required by the President. Considering the slowness of the mails between Texas and Richmond, the governor cannot refer the matter to the War Department, and wishes to receive on the subject the opinion of the general, who may have received fuller instructions. Cavalry could be raised at once; it will be more difficult to raise infantry. Will one or two companies of artillery be received?

Do the words "These camps will be under the control of this department" mean that the troops are to be supplied and paid by the Confederate States? In view of the condition of our public treasury, the State could not bear such a burden for any length of time.

The Secretary of War leaves to the governor the selection of two camp grounds for the concentration of the companies. His excellency, feeling the necessity of a harmonious action between the civil and military authorities in Texas, and considering that the general is the best judge as to the accessibility of the places and their relative advantages under the strategic point of view, desires to receive his suggestions on the subject.

I have also the honor to inclose to you a copy of Special Orders, Numbers 18, from this department, relative to the organization of a force under the authority of the State of Texas, to be kept in readiness to meet any emergencies on the frontiers of Missouri and Arkansas. These orders have been communicated to nobody except the officers concerned in the organization. The governor believes that they ought to be kept secret

---------------

*Reference is to requisition of June 30, 1861, upon the several governors, the call upon Texas being for 2,000 men. See Vol. I, Series IV, pp. 260, 261.

---------------