An officer of the Ordnance Department goes on the Wilmington to receive and distribute the arms, and you are desired to give him any assistance he may require. Should the equipments accompany the arms they will be issued to the troops in proportion to their quantity, as compared with the whole numbers of arms. The troops thus armed will re-enforce your army and enable you to send another brigade to Fredericksburg, which I desire you to do as soon as possible. The selection of the brigade I leave to you, but should you have more transportation than is required for the troops in your department, I desire that you will forward such as can be spared for service with the troops in this. Should you have an engineer and an ordnance officer whose services can be spared, I request that they be ordered for duty with the troops near Fredericksburg.

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

R. E. LEE,

General.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF NORTH CAROLINA, Goldsborough, April 27, 1862.

General R. E. LEE,
Commanding C. S. Army:

GENERAL: Your favor of yesterday is received. As soon as the arms are received I will organize a brigade out of the troops in Raleigh, and I will be much obliged if you will send me a brigade to command it. I greatly fear it will be some time before the country arms can be collected in sufficient numbers to arm six regiments, as the Governor has but 1,400 of all sorts, and Major Ashe thus far has sent none. I will order Major Thompson to report to you as an engineer. Colonel Deshler is the only ordnance officer I have, and he cannot be spared, as he is also my chief of artillery. I will send Ransons' brigade to Fredericksburg as soon as I can relieve it, unless you will be satisfied with the new one to be organized out of the troops at Raleigh. I shall be left with but two brigades (Walker's and Branch's) that can be at all relied on if Burnside advances.

I am, General, very respectfully and truly,

TH. H. HOLMES,

Major-General, Commanding.

P. S. -If it be possible please send me General Pettigrew; he is from North Carolina, and I need his strength to discipline new recruits rapidly.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF NORTH CAROLINA, Goldsborough, April 27, 1862.

Major W. H. TAYLOR,
Assistant Adjutant-General, Richmond:

MAJOR: I send herewith, for the information of General Lee, a copy of a letter just received from Captain W. S. G. Andrews, who commands a small body of troops near Tarborough. The intelligence it contains is corroborative of accounts from other sources.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

TH. H. HOLMES,

Major-General, Commanding.

30 R R-VOL IX