nications. The greater portion of Davidson's (Federal) cavalry, which made the recent raid through East Louisiana and Southern Mississippi, is still near West Pascagoula. The threatening attitude assumed by the enemy renders it necessary that all the troops which can possibly be concentrated should be placed in position to enable them to co-operate with the forces in Mobile and protect the lines of communication with that city, on which depends not only the safety of Mobile, but the maintenance of General Hood's army in Tennessee. I have therefore been compelled to withdraw the forces from Southern and Central Mississippi and East Louisiana, and the section of your State bordering on the Mississippi River will, for the present, be left with no adequate protection against raiding parties which the enemy may send into that section. The meager forces at my disposal render this unavoidable; and while the concentration made by the enemy near Mobile renders it improbable that he can do more than plunder certain localities, the evil thus inflicted must be submitted to rather than incur the greater risk of interruption of the above-mentioned communications and loss of Mobile. I communicate this information to Your Excellency, who is aware of the small disposable force at my command, of which I am obliged to leave and adequate garrison at Corinth and a sufficient force to picket toward Memphis. Your own judgment and discretion will enable you to decide upon the propriety or expediency of calling out the local militia in the exposed section of your State after the holiday season has passed.

I am, Governor, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

R. TAYLOR,

Lieutenant-General.

HDQRS. DEPARTMENT OF ALA., MISS., AND EAST LA.,
Meridian, December 22, 1864.

Major General D. H. MAURY,

Commanding District of the Gulf, Mobile:

GENERAL: The lieutenant-general commanding instructs me to state to you as follows:

O'Neal's regiment, 450 strong, leaves here this evening for Mobile to report to you. Major-General Gardner has to-day been ordered to send all the forces in Central and Southern Mississippi and East Louisiana to a point on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad between this place and Mobile, where they can co-operate with the forces under your command. This will leave General Gardner only sufficient troops to garrison Corinth and picket toward Memphis. The force displayed by the enemy, or which he can probably collect at this time against Mobilee, will not be sufficient for him to invest the city, but he will doubtless occupy them in attempts against your communications. The utmost vigilance should be exercised, and at every favorable opportunity he should be attacked. By confining him to his selected position, and attacking him on every occasion which promises success, he will be seriously annoyed, and the offensive operations on our part will afford the best protection to the line of communications which it is so essential to preserve intact. As the enemy indicates the western shore as the theater of his operations, you should make similar dispositions of all your available forces, leaving on the eastern shore only sufficient garrisons for your works, and throwing mounted pickets as near as possible to Pensacola, so as to give you timely notice of any movement from