No. 38 Report of Col. William P. Johnston, Aide-de-Camp and Special Inspector, in reference to operations in Department No. 2.

RICHMOND, VA., July 15, 1862.

SIR: In obedience to orders of June 14* I went to Mobile, Ala., where I found General Beauregard. I had the honor to transmit to you from Mobile General Beauregard's replies to your interrogatories and his inclosure of a letter published by him in the Mobile newspapers, together with my memoranda+ of a conversation with him, as certified to by him. I then proceeded to Tupelo, Miss., to carry out your further orders, a copy of which is annexed, marked A, and reported to General Bragg, the commanding general. Full information and cordial assistance were rendered me my General Bragg and by all other persons with whom my duty brought me in contact.

I submit to Your Excellency the following exhibits, furnished me by the assistant adjutant-general, Colonel Jordan:

Exhibit B++ shows the organization of the Army April 5 and 7. The names of the commanding general and of the general second in command are omitted by the assistant adjutant-general, doubtless through inadvertence.

Exhibit C shows the organization of the army June 30, General Braxton Bragg commanding.

Exhibit D^ shows the field return of the Confederate forces that marched from Corinth to the Tennessee River April 3 in Table 1. The aggregate force was 59,774 and the effective total 38,773. Table 2 shows the field return after the battle of Shiloh: Aggregate, 64,500; effective total,32,212. Table loss,10,699.

Exhibit E shows in Table 1 the field return prior to the evacuation of Corinth: Aggregate, 112,092; effective total, 52,706. Table 2 shows field return on arrival at Tupelo: Aggregate, 94,784; effective total, 45,365; the reduction being caused in part by the detachment of General Breckinridge's Reserve Corps. Table 3 shows the field return July 1: Aggregate,# 96,549; effective total, 45,393, exclusive of the cavalry and subsequent to detachment of McCown's division.

Exhibit F# is the order of General Bragg, assuming command of Department No. 2, July 2, subdividing it into districts and reorganizing the Army of the Mississippi.

The tables do not afford the means in themselves of verifying the results.

The present organization of the army is anomalous and not it accordance with the law, and will require Execute and perhaps Congressional action to remedy its evils. The conscripts act (so called), perpetuating the organization of twelve-month's men and prescribing a new election of officers, has worked most disastrously in this army. The twelve-months' volunteers had made their business arrangements with

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*See Exhibit A.

+Answers to interrogatories and memorandum of conversation follow General Beauregard's report. See pp.774-779. The published letter not found.

++See report No. 134, battle of Shiloh,p.382.

^See reports Nos.136,137 (and for Table 3, see inclosure B to No. 135), battle of Shiloh, pp.398,399,395.

#Will appear in operations June 10 to October 31, 1862, in Kentucky, Middle and East Tennessee,&c.

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