RICHMOND, VA., February 4, 1865.

General G. T. BEAUREGARD,

Augusta, Ga.:

Your three dispatches of yesterday received. The view resented is more discouraging than I had anticipated. The last report I received from General Hardee was of the 8th ultimo. His force seems, from your statement, to have materially diminished, notwithstanding he at the time expected re-enforments from South Carolina, and has received a considerable force from the Army of Viriginia. The numbers given for the corps from the Army of Tennessee are also much smaller than I had been led to expect. You know what was the condition of affairs here when you left Virginia. Since then the enemy has received re-enforcements, and General Lee has sent detachments to Georgia and South Carolina. You can, therefore, judge of his power to aid you to the extent ypu propose without abandoning his present field of operations. I will, however, communicate your dispatches to him, and need not assure you of his readiness to do whatever circumstances will permit to attain your object-the deleat of Sherman. You will assume command of all the forces in the district as defined before your departure to the West; and, should you deem it advisable, will direct General Hardee to resume command of his old corps when it arrives, and add to it any other forces which may be advatageously associated with it. You will endeavor to obtain from Governor Magrath, of South Carolina, and Governor Brown, of Geoegia, whatever auxiliary force they can add, and use all available means to restore absentees to the service. From these sources you should be able to obain a greater number of men than that named in your dispatch as sufficient to enable you to defeat the enemy. You will realize the necessity for the rapid concentration of your forces, and, if possible, the defeat of the enemy at some point south and east of Branchville and Augusta. To give time for such concentration and for the arrival of re-enfrocements, every available means must be employed to delay the advance of the enemy, and, by operationg on his lines of communication, to interfere with his supplies.

JEFF'N DAVIS.

WAR DEPARTMENT, C. S. A.,

Richmond, Va., February 4, 1865.

General G. T. BEAUREGARD,

Augusta, Ga.:

The Commissary-General wishses to know if he shall continue te retain thirty days' provisions at Charleston. Your judgment is desired.

J. A. SEDDON,

Secretary of War.

AUGUSTA, February 4, 1865.

(Received 8. 45 o'clock.)

Honorable J. A. SEDDON:

Thirty days' provisions are no longer reguired in Charleston. But provisions now there will be required for troops operating in South Carolina.

G. T. BEAUREGARD.