Some heavy artillerists may be sent from here. Colonel Marigny is en route to Camp Moore, with instructions to collect and organize partisans. From the Florida parishes I hope you will get considerable accessions of force. See General Richard Taylor, on his way to Western Louisiana, and General Holmes, to Trans-Mississippi Department, and confer with them as to their ability to aid you.

JEFFERSON DAVIS.

GENERAL ORDERS,
HEADQUARTERS IN THE FIELD, No. 20. August 4, 1862.

I. Brigadier-General Ruggles will remain at Port Hudson and take command of troops as they arrive. He will get the 42-pounder in position as soon as possible.

II. Colonel Beaux will move with his division as soon as possible to Port Hudson and report to General Ruggles. He will take the general's camp equipage along. He will make arrangements to receive supplies via Williams' Brigade and Clinton, and will start this evening is possible. The Hudson Battery will report to accompany you.

By order of Major-General Breckinridge:

JOHN A. BUCKNER, Assistant-Adjutant-General.

AUGUST 11, 1862.

At a meeting of citizens residing on the right bank of the Mississippi River, in the parishes of Acsencion and Saint James, this day held, at the residence of Captain Camile MIre, in the said parish of Saint James on motion of J. Adam Gandet, Governor Roman was called to the chair, and J. A. Landry, esq., was appointed secretary.

The honorable chairman having briefly explained the object of the meeting (which is fully embodied in the report of the committee appointed to draught its resolutions),

On motion, a committee of five, composed of the following-named gentleman, viz, Michel Gaudet, John H. Ilsley, Ernest Pedesclaux, Elvi Melancon, and J. K. Gaudet, was appointed by the chair to draught resolution expressive of the views entertained by the people of the said parish, whom this meeting fully represents, in regard to the momentous question now pending. This said committee, having withdrawn to deliberated as follows:

REPORT.

Whereas an event most disastrous in its consequences occurred at Doneldsonville on the morning of Saturday last, the 9th instant, when two United States sloops-of-war and one gunboat, commanded by Commodore Farragut, anchored immediately in front of the town and proceeded to fire on it with their guns and mortars, and to accelerate their work of destruction landed a force and set fire to and consumed the most valuable portion of the town, and also the costly buildings of an adjacent sugar plantation, besides other valuable buildings below the town, and assigned as the reason for this wanton and barbarous act that some of the unarmed vessels of the United States had been fired upon from Donaldsonville and its vicinity; and whereas the enemy has