your letter just received. After the enemy succeeded in passing the forts is seems there was nothing left for you to do but to withdraw the troops. I think you may confidently rely upon the judgment of intelligent and reflecting men for the justification of your course as soon as the facts, as they actually existed, shall be known. The city being lost, I approve of your purpose to confine the enemy to its limits as closely as possible and to protect the State from his ravages. The means with which you propose to accomplish this seem to be the best that you can now employ, and I must urge you to them in operation without delay, soliciting bold and judicious partisans who can raise proper corps, and whose appointment, who recommended by you, will be subject to the approval of the President. In the mean time set them vigorously to work. The want of arms is much felt every where, and to exertions should be spared to procure all of serviceable kind. I hope to be able to send you 1,000 rifles from a cargo lately arrived at Charleston, should it embrace arms for the Confederacy.

I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

R. E. LEE,

General.

[Document Numbers 31.]

CAMP MOORE, LA., April 28, 1862.

Gov. JOHN J. PETTUS,

Jackson, Miss.:

Please send cannon from Mobile intended for New Orleans to Vicks burg; also any powder. General Jones says he sent both from Mobile.

M. LOVELL.

[Answer.]

JACKSON, MISS., April 29, 1862.

General LOVELL:

Five army guns here from Mobile; nine navy guns without carriages. Do you want many guns sent to Vicksburg?

JOHN J. PETTUS.

[Document Numbers 32.]

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT Numbers 1,
New Orleans, La., April 12, 1862.

General GEORGE W. RANDOLPH,

Secretary of War:

SIR: I have the honor to report that we shall in a few days have about 5,000 men in this part of the State enlisted for the war for whom I have no arms. All the troops for the interior lines about the city that I had organized were sent to Corinth, and the defense of those lines left in the hands of a few badly-organize volunteers, very poorly armed. The forces of the enemy at Ship Island and Isle Breton cannot be less than 10,000 or 12,000 men, and I deem it my duty to lay before you the entirely defenseless condition of the city against any attack by land. Should the enemy attempt to land at Bay Saint Louis, and march a column of 12,000 or 15,000 men to Jackson, Miss., he would cut off all communication with Beauregard without the possibility of my preventing it. Learning that a large number of arms had arrived in the country, I telegraphed and wrote at once for them, as I have only about 200, but have received nothing.

The condition of our defenses, so far as regards artillery, has been represented to the Department, yet upon the evacuation of Pensacola