no emergency to accept troops into the Confederate service for a less period than three years or the war, and if any such have been accepted at once to disband them.

If any emergency arises you may call out the people en mass for defense; but you will muster no troops whatever into the Confederate service, under any pressure, for less than three years or the war.

Respectfully,

J. P. BENJAMIN,

Secretary of War.

FEBRUARY 24, 1862.

Brigadier General P. O. HEBERT, Galveston, Tex.:

SIR: Our recent disaster in Tennessee has greatly exposed our line of communication with the West, and the importance of this line is so great that it must be eld at any sacrifice.

You are therefore instructed at once to send forward to Little Rock, there to report to Major General Van Dorn, all the troops in your command, for the defense of the coast, except such as are necessary to man your batteries. No invasion of Texas is deemed probable probable, but if any occurs its effects must be hazarded, and our entire forces must be thrown toward the Mississippi, for the defense of that river and of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad.

I do not desire that you withdraw such troops as you may have on the Rio Grande or Western frontier, but only the troops you have gathered for defending the Gulf coast. If at any point where you have batteries you deem that there is danger of losing the guns by the withdrawal of the land forces you will remove the guns, but the men are to be pushed forward with all possible rapidity to Little Rock by such route as you may deem best.

I am, your obedient servant,

J. P. BENJAMIN,

Secretary of War.

SPECIAL ORDERS,
HEADQUARTERS DEPT. OF TEXAS, No. 221.
Houston, February 25, 1862.

I. Until further orders the command of Colonel H. E. McCulloch will be styled "Sub-Military District of the Rio Grande;" headquarters, for the present, San Antonio.

II. The command of Colonel John C. Moore, "Sub-Military District of Houston;" headquarters, for the present,near Houston.

III. The command of Colonel E. B. Nichols, "Sub-Military District of Galveston;" headquarters, for the present, Galveston.

By order of Brigadier General P. O. Hebert:

SAML. BOYER DAVIS,
Major and Assistant Adjutant-General.