HEADQUARTERS JOHNSON'S DIVISION,
February 17, 1865.

Major R. P. DUNCAN,

Assistant Adjutant-General:

MAJOR: General Ransom reports through his adjutant-general, Captain Gee, twenty deserters from the Fifty-sixth North Carolina, Colonel Faison's regiment, last night. It appears that these men deserted to the rear, and have, perhaps, gone home. If Colonel Faison could be returned to duty, and would apply himself duly to his duties as regimental commander, I feel assured it would be well for his command. I am, however, led to believe that Colonel Faison is dissatisfied, and perhaps may not feel disposed to return to duty with this command. So far as any official notification is concerned, Colonel Faison is now absent without leave, and we know not where he is; this can no doubt be ascertained in Richmond. General Ransom is taking stringent measures to arrest the progress of the disposition to desert in his brigade, and the suggestion and co-operations from these headquarters will, I think, be found to be very full, unless, indeed, the provost guard of the division, stationed in rear of our lines, have failed to do their duty, which will be a matter for immediate investigation. I inclose a report just received from General Ransom.*

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

B. R. JOHNSON,

Major-General.

WAR DEPARTMENT, C. S. A.,

Richmond, February 18, 1865.

JEFFERSON DAVIS,

President of the Confederate States:

SIR: I invite your attention to the condition of this Department in respect to its claim upon the Treasury and the necessity for prompt attention to that claim.

The requisitions of this Department on the Treasury since the commencement of the war have been as follows:

1861............................. $59,516,129.75

1862............................. 398,259,436.51

1863............................. 512,278,188.54

1864............................. 670,663,396.89

1865............................. 97,028,970.14

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Total............................ $1,737,746,121.83

Of the requisitions for 1864 and 1865, there remains unpaid the sum of $61,322,573.45, and besides this, the sum of $69,601,422.58, which was drawn prior to the 1st of April last, in old issue, returned to the Treasury. The amount actually drawn from the Treasury in 1864 was but $422,344,319.10; of the sum, $320,721,116 was paid since the 1st of July last, showing that only $101,623.10 was paid during the first six months of the last year.

This statement will account for the large arrears in this Department. The whole of the fact will show that the arrearage must be much greater than is apparent from the preceding statement by a comparison of the expenditures of this Department with those of the War Department of the United States.

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*Not found.

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