be provoked by any act of hers or her citizens to any course, however justifiable, which would afford the enemy a pretext for blockading the Rio Grande against foreign vessels or Mexico an excuse for co-operating with the Federal in the war against us. I shall do all in my power to conciliate our neighbors without giving the slightest cause of offense to the French. Should the Federal army ever occupy Matamoras it would be greatly to our interest.

Abstract from Monthly Report of the troops in the Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana, Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton, C. S. Army, commanding, for month of March, 1863.*

Present for duty.

Command. Officers Men. Aggrega- Aggrega-

te te

present. present

and

absent.

Third Military

District, Major General

Frank Gardner

commanding,

headquarters Port

Hudson:

General and staff. 10 ... 12 17

Beall's brigade. 277 2,917 3,782 5,063

Buford's brigade. 230 2,505 3,458 4,396

Gregg's brigade. 226 2,519 3,323 4,130

Maxey's brigade. 297 2,470 3,608 4,536

Rust's brigade. 187 2,750 3,401 4,685

Troops not brigaded. 139 1,760 2,804 3,901

Total. 1,366 14,921 20,388 26,728

---------------

*Embraces only so much of original returns as relates to the Third Military District.

---------------

Organization of troops in the Third Military District, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana, Major General Franklin Gardner, C. S. Army, commanding, March 31, 1863.

MAXEY'S BRIGADE.

Brigadier General SAMUEL B. MAXEY.

4th Louisiana, Col. S. E. Hunter.

30th Louisiana, Major C. J. Bell.

42nd Tennessee, Lieutenant Col. Esaac N. Hulme.

46th Tennessee, Col. A. J. Brown.

55th Tennessee, Col. A. J. Brown.

48th Tennessee, Col. W. M. Voorhies.

49th Tennessee, Col. J. e. Bailey.

53rd Tennessee, Captain H. H. Aymett.

Texas Battalion Sharpshooters, Major James Burnet.

Louisiana Battery, Captain C. E. Fenner.

Mississippi Battery, Captain Calvit Roberts.

BEALUS BRIGADE.

Brigadier General W. N. R. BEALL.

11th Arkansas, Col. John L. Logan.

17th Arkansas, Col. John L. Logan.

12th Arkansas, Col. J. T. Reid.

14th Arkansas, Col. O. P. Lyles.

18th Arkansas, Col. O. P. Lyles.

23rd Arkansas, Col. O. P. Lyles.

15th Arkansas, Col. B. W. Johnson.

16th Arkansas, Col. B. W. Johnson.

8th Arkansas Battalion, Col. B. W. Johnson.

1st Mississippi, Col. J. M. Simonton.

39th Mississippi, Col. W. B. Shelby.

1st Mississippi Light Artillery, Battery B, Captain A. J. Herod.

1st Mississippi Light Artillery, Battery F, Captain J. L. Bradford.

1st Mississippi Light Artillery, Battery K, Captain George F. Abbay.