the organization of a brigade out of these troops. They were, after much difficulty well mare, equipped, and provided in all respects,a nd held at the central position, to be sent to any point of the exterior line required or to defend the interior line if attacked. I laid a railway track in the city between the Pontchartrain and Mexican Gulf Railroads, so as to transfer troops rapidly from point to point, and established telegraphed lines to Proctorsville and to Brasher City, on Berwick Bay. We were already in telegraphic communication with Frots Pike, Macomb, Saint Philip, and Jackson, and the Passes at the mouth of the Mississippi River. I also made every effort, through the citizens, to endeavor to accumulate a supply of flour and meat sufficient of sixty days for the citizens, to endeavor to accumulate a supply of flour and meat sufficient for sixty days for the whole city, to enable the inhabitants to stand a siege; but from causes beyond my control their efforts failed entirely, and this want of provisions for more than 150,000 inhabitants was an important element in determining the evacuation of the city in April. In addition to the great amount f labor imposed upon myself and the small number of experienced officers with me, by the details of the works above indicated, I received orders about January 15, 1862, from the Secretary of War, to seize fourteen steamers, then at New Orleans, which were to be strengthened, protected with cotton bales, armed, ousted, and equipped, under my general supervision, by Captains Montgomery, Townsend, and others named by them. From this purpose $1,000,000 was placed to my credit, and, although not favorably impressed with the plan myself, I labored assiduously to carry out the view of the Department. Montgomery an Townsend were sent from Richmond, and the twelve other captains were selected by them, he matter being placed in their hands by instructions from the Secretary of War. All these vessels were completed and put in service before April 1, eight of them being sent up the river to Fort Pillow and the other six retained for reasons indicated by me in letter of March 10 to the Secretary of War, hereto appended.

Immense requisitions of all kind were constantly made on my department, and provisions, clothing camp and garrison equipage, powder, and munitions of war of various kinds were sent to the different parts of the Confederacy. My chief quartermaster, chief commissary, and ordnance officer not only performed their department duties, but acted as agents for the heads of their respective bureaus at Richmond. I had twelve larches fitted up and armed with one gun each, for service on the small bayous and canals by which the department is intersected in all directions. This was mainly for the purpose of preventing marauding expeditions and to keep negroes and others from communicating with the enemy.

I reported, quite in detail, to the War Department my progress in the duties of my command on December 5, 1861. During the succeeding four weeks I was directed from Richmond to send out of the department twenty-tow heavy guns to Tennessee and Charleston, S. C. (see dispatches herewith, marked 5, 6 and 7),and to provide one gun each for the fourteen vessels of the river-defense fleet intended for service on the upper river. I also turned over to the Navy ten 42-pounders for arming the steamers Bienville and Carondelet for service in Lake Pontchartrain and Mississippi Sound; besides which I supplied them with powder and the men to serve their guns, as they had neither guns, powder, nor crews to make the ships available. I reported to the Secretaries of War and the Navy that I had turned over these ten guns. I also notified retries of war and the Navy that I had turned over these ten guns. I also notified retries of war and the Navy that I had turned over these ten guns. I also notified the former that I had sent two regiments of troops to Columbus, Ky., upon the urgent request of the general in command there.

In February I was ordered by the War Department to send 5,000 men also to Columbus, which took away all my available force in New Orleans, leaving me without a single armed regiment of Confederate troops in the city. Every vessel of war ready for service inthe river was also ordered up to the same point, and the department left without ships or men, except the garrisons of the works on the exterior line.

On February 25 I made requisitions on the governor of Louisiana for 10,000 militia for the defense of the city, but the adjutant-general of the State reported that, in November, 1861, he had only about 6,000 armed militia available, and that since that time 3,000 of the best armed of these troops had been sent tore-enforce the army in Tennessee upon there question of General Beauregard. This gave me for the defense of New Orleans less then 3,000 militia, of which 1,200 had muskets, and the remainder and a part of them, when ordered to the support of Fort Jackson, mutinied an refused to go, and had o be forced on board the transports by other regiments.

I reported to the War Department the manner in which my district had been stripped of men, guns, and ships, and objected thereto. (See my letters to the Secretary of War, February 12 and March 6, 9, 10 and 22, hereto appended, marked documents Nos. 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, as well as subsequent letters to the Department.*)

The strength of the land defenses around the city was, however, so great that I felt confident of repelling, even with the troops at my disposal, any attack that might be

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*See dispatches of dates indicated in "Correspondence, etc.-Confederate," post.

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36 R R-VOL VI