being irregular in their organization and loose in their discipline. But if actively led in the direction indicated by you they may still do a great deal of good, while Saltville would be better protected by more regular troops.

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

WM. PRESTON JOHNSTON,

Colonel and Aide-de-Camp.

P. S.- General Jackson telegraphs at 11 a.m. that the Federals ran up a train and occupied Jonesborough last night . Their pickets fired on trains going down, a few miles this side. He asks for re-enforcements to be pushed forward, and promises to defend the bridge below Bristol.

General Jones will send Wharton's brigade and Forty-fifth Virginia Regiment, Colonel Browne, now at Lewisburg, instead of McCausland's brigade, to Saltville. General Jones is anxious to have some general sent to Preston's district to command the troops, ranking Williams and Jackson. They are the only brigadiers he has.

Very respectfully,

WM. PRESTON JOHNSTON,

[Inclosure Numbers 1.]

HEADQUARTERS MARLING'S BOTTOM.

September 2, 1863.

Major General SAM. JONES,
Commanding, &c.:

GENERAL: Dispatch of Major Myers is received.* The Yankees kept up the run until they got to Huntersville and are utterly demoralized. Some of my scouts followed them to Crouche's fortification. The only force (outside of Kanawha Valley) in Northwest Virginia is the force that was under General Averell, a small force at Grafton and Clarksburg, and the Eleventh (bogus) Virginia Regiment near Parkersburg. About 100 of some of these regiments at Sutton. I have to-day ordered Major Kesler, with 200 men on foot, to proceed to Sutton and capture the force there and then return. He will start to-morrow, taking the Coal Mountain route. I am gathering in all my stragglers. I wrote to you that on the pursuit I was compelled to leave about 300 broken-down men on the route. I will communicate other information as soon as scouts now out return. I dispatched to you that my cavalry, under Colonel Arnett, killed and wounded a number of the enemy at Big Spring.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

WM. L. JACKSON,

Colonel, &c.,

[Inclosure Numbers 2.]

HEADQUARTERS FIRST BRIGADE,
Lewisburg, September 3, 1863.

Major CHARLES S. STRINGFELLOW,

Assistant Adjutant-General:

MAJOR: Under date of yesterday Colonel Corns reports as follows:

I have just learned from some of my scouts who have lately returned from the border, that General White has withdrawn his troops from Sandy River, leaving

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*See Series I, Vol. XXIX, Part II, p. 692.

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