Regiment to him also, which would have increased my addition to the force by over 600 men, if I had not supposed you would send the Twenty-fifth and Thirty-first Virginia Regiments.

With great respect, general, your obedient servant,

SAM. JONES,

Major-General.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF WESTERN VIRGINIA, Dublin, April 13, 1863.

Brigadier General J. D. IMBODEN,
Commanding, &c., Shenandoah Mountain:

GENERAL: I have just now received a letter from General Lee, informing me that he would not send the Twenty-fifth and Thirty-first Virginia Regiments to you, which you expected he would do. As I sent to him the Fiftieth Virginia Regiment, to supply the places of the Twenty-fifth and Thirty-first, and the Fiftieth must have reached him by the 10th, and he was informed you would start on the 15th, I hope yet that he has sent the Twenty-fifth and Thirty-first to you.

I presume, however, that he has informed you that he will not send you the Twenty-fifth and Thirty-first, and I am apprehensive that you will allow the disappointment of not receiving those two regiment to discourage you as to the success of the expedition on which you are about to embark. I write to say you must not allow it to do so. Colonel Patton and Lieutenant-Colonel Dunn are on the march to join you with, 1,100 men, and I feel confident that Colonel W. L. Jackson will join in the expedition from Huntersville with from 300 to 400 men. With the force you can carry, independent of Lee and independent of McNeill's party, you ought to have under your immediate command to operate on Beverly, Buckhannon, and Clarksburg at least 2,700 men and a battery or artillery, which, if the information we have is correct, ought to enable you to overcome any force between you and Clarksburg.

I wish you, therefore, to make the move, and if you gain a foothold in the country and communicate with me fully and freely, as you can do with the means I have provided, by way of Lewisburg, I will be ready to re-enforce you with from 2,000 to 3,000 infantry, if I am not in the meantime ordered to dispose of those men in another direction and for a different purpose.

In view of the condition of the enemy in our front, I have strong hopes of most advantageous results from the expedition proposed. I will contribute everything in my power to its success, and rely upon you and the troops I send [and they go in the best spirits] to carry the expedition to a successful issue.

With great respect, general, I am, your obedient servant,

SAM. JONES,

Major-General.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF WESTERN VIRGINIA, Dublin, April 13, 1863.

Colonel W. L. JACKSON,

Warm Springs, via Staunton:

Your letter of the 8th just now received. Imboden's letter of the 7th is all correct. I sent you the order on the 4th instant. Hope you have received it. Act on Imboden's letter without waiting further