herself of her young men, who are nobly fighting the battles of the Confederacy beyond her limits, needs but arms in the hands of the warlike and veteran pioneers who have remained at home to enable her to defend her soil successfully, but these arms she has not. All the rifles and shot-guns at one time in the hands of her citizens have been sent with her troops to the army elsewhere, and she is absolutely now without any whatever, except the few with which the troops in the field here are badly armed.

My predecessor, Brigadier-General Hebert, made a requisition before my arrival for 12,000 stand of arms. I repeated this call a few days ago, and now again respectfully ask the utmost exertions of the War Department to procure, if possible, the supply here so necessary, with the corresponding quantity of ammunition; also additional light batteries be sent to me in accordance with previous requisitions. Of the 3,000 stand of arms promised me by the former Secretary of War I have succeeded in obtaining only 1,000, which have arrived here. I have the honor to request that the rest be supplied as early as possible.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

J. BANKHEAD MAGRUDER,

Major-General, Commanding.

WAR DEPARTMENT, C. S. A.,

Richmond, Va., December 13, 1862.

His Excellency J. G. SHORTER,

Governor of the State of Alabama:

SIR: Your Excellency's letter of the 5th instant, inclosing a communication from the Committee of Safety in Mobile, Ala., has been received. The President left this city some days ago to visit the headquarters of the different armies in the Southwest, and will probably be in Mobile within the course of the next fortnight. Whatever preparation can be made for the defense of that city within the compass of the means of the Government Your Excellency may be assured will be made. The formation of a corps of reserve in aid of the forces of the Confederacy might be fairly left to the citizens themselves. Under an act of the last Congress "to authorize the formation of volunteer companies for local defense" (No. 72) organizations may be made which, in any exigency of invasion, would prove of great utility; and the act provides an easy and convenient mode for doing this.

Your Excellency may be assured that the impending invasion on the part of our enemy has been prepared with great care and with a profusion of means almost without a parallel, and that it behooves every man in the State of Alabama and in the whole Confederacy to be ready to do his whole duty for repelling it.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

J. A. CAMPBELL,

Assistant Secretary of War.

HDQRS. FIRST MIL. DIST., DEPT. OF MISS. AND EAST LA.,
Jackson, Miss., December 14, 1862.

Major J. R. WADDY,

Assistant Adjutant-General:

SIR: I have the honor to state, for the information of the lieutenant-general commanding, that I have received the following information, which is entitled to some consideration.