The landing of the enemy in force in your neighborhood of course puts an end to all idea of assigning you to other duty, as equally unjust to the country and yourself; and in this connection I will remark that a petition is here from Mobile asking that your headquarters be changed to that city. As I consider you entirely at liberty to place your headquarters where you deem best in your own department, I make no answer to this petition.

I have ordered Lieutenant Slaughter to be appointed to temporary rank as colonel, to be assigned to duty by you.

I am, your obedient servant,

J. P. BENJAMIN,

Secretary of War.

WAR DEPARTMENT, C. S. A.,

Richmond, Va., January 12, 1862.

Major General BRAXTON BRAGG,

Pensacola, Fla.:

MY DEAR SIR: I have received yours of the 6th instant, and anticipated the answer a day or two ago. I merely write now to say that the President requests me to assure you of his appreciation of your readiness to serve your country wherever you could render yourself most useful, and that neither he nor myself would have thought of making to you the proposal contained in my letter if we had anticipated that the enemy would land in any force within your department.

The people there would have every reason to complain of your withdrawal under such circumstances, and the dissatisfaction would be such as to produce a very bad state of feeling as regards their defense.

We have concluded to send Major General Earl Van Dorn to the district west of the Mississippi.

Yours, very truly,

J. P. BENJAMIN,

Secretary of War.

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT,

Montgomery, Ala., January 13, 1862.

Honorable J. P. BENJAMIN,

Secretary of War:

SIR: I have recently visited and encampments of our troops at and near Mobile, and deem it my duty to the people of Alabama to report to your Department the great need of munitions for the defense of our coast, both guns for the fortifications and small-arms for the land forces. I hope to be able to specify at an early day the description and number of guns needed for the forts; the land forces there are now wanting several thousand muskets or rifles.

I beg to hand you inclosed a letter from Honorable P. Hamilton, chairman of the Executive Committee of Safety for the city of Mobile, in reference to certain arms in Havana, and to call your attention to the suggestions contained in it, and respectfully to ask your compliance with the same. In our opinion I am sorry to say that, in view of the increasing armaments and numbers of the enemy in the Gulf and his threatening attitude towards our coast, we are perhaps as unprepared, for want of guns and arms, for his reception as any point in the Confederacy.

I hope I may be pardoned for reminding the Department of the many