Return of troops and guns in the Military Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, November 1, 1863.

Effectives

Command Infan- Companies Light Compani Heavy

try of light artille es of artille

artillery ry heavy ry

artille

ry

First Military 4,578 2 152 15 917

District,

Brigadier-

General Ripley

Second Military - 2 199 1 89

District,

Brigadier-

General

Robertson

Third Military 603 5 551 - -

District,

Brigadier-

General Walker

Fourth Military 521 2 180 1 150

District,

Brigadier-

General Trapier

Fifth Military 1,692 1 78 5 278

District,

Colonel Rhett

Sixth Military 2,061 - - 1 26

District,

Brigadier-

General Wise

Seventh 4,442 5 376 26 1,851

Military

District,

Brigadier-

General

Taliaferro

District of 1,050 4 224 35 1,395

Georgia,

Brigadier-

General Mercer

District of 1,485 2 167 1 -

Middle Florida,

Brigadier-

General Gardner

District of 470 3 140 - -

East Florida,

Brigadier-

General Finegan

Department of *16,902 26 2,067 85 4,706

South Carolina,

Georgia, and

Florida,

General

Beauregard

Effectives Guns

Command Cavalry Total Artille Field Total Total

ry in artil infantry

posi- lery required

tion for the

proper

defense

First 184 5,831 59 8 67 5,000

Military

District,

Brigadier-

General

Ripley

Second 749 1,037 6 8 114 2,500

Military

District,

Brigadier-

General

Robertson

Third 1,368 2,522 - 21 21 3,500

Military

District,

Brigadier-

General

Walker

Fourth 320 1,171 11 9 20 1,500

Military

District,

Brigadier-

General

Trapier

Fifth 106 2,154 13 4 17 2,500

Military

District,

Colonel

Rhett

Sixth - 2,087 8 - 8 3,500

Military

District,

Brigadier-

General

Wise

Seventh 279 6,948 122 20 142 7,500

Military

District,

Brigadier-

General

Taliaferro

District of 1,908 4,577 184 17 201 10,000

Georgia,

Brigadier-

General

Mercer

District of 482 2,134 5 8 13 1,500

Middle

Florida,

Brigadier-

General

Gardner

District of 464 1,074 40 8 8 2,500

East

Florida,

Brigadier-

General

Finegan

Department 5,860 29,535 448 103 511 40,000

of South

Carolina,

Georgia,

and

Florida,

General

Beauregard

*Of these, about 1,754 men belong to the five regiments of six-months' State troops.

REMARKS.

First Military District South Carolina-Sumter, Sullivan's and Long Islands, parishes of Christ Church and Saint Thomas.

Second Military District South Carolina-From western limits of the Sixth to Ashepoo.

Third Military District South Carolina-Country between Ashepoo and Savannah Rivers.

Fourth Military District South Carolina-Bounded on southwest by Santee River and northwest by boundary line of North and South Carolina.

Fifth Military District South Carolina-City of Charleston, to include lines on Neck, Fort Ripley, and Castle Pinckney.

Sixth Military District South Carolina-Saint Andrew's, south of Ashley and west of Stono Church Flats, and tete-de-pont at Rantowles.

Seventh Military District South Carolina-James Island.

District of Georgia-State of Georgia, excluding defenses of the Appalachicola and main affluent.

District of Middle Florida-Bounded by Suwannee and Choctawhatchie Rivers and defenses of Appalachicola and affluent.

District of East Florida-Portion of Florida east of Suwannee River.

NOTE.-First, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh Districts comprise the defenses of Charleston, S. C., and formed the First Military District until October 22, 1863.

[Inclosure B.]

HEADQUARTERS THIRD MILITARY DISTRICT, Pocotaligo, November 19, 1863.

GENERAL: I judge that the Abolition forces will soon despair of taking Charleston in front. If they do attempt it, it will probably be with their iron-clads running into Charleston Harbor, in which event there will only be an artillery fight. Their present force is totally inadequate for a land attack.

Failing at Charleston, it is a probable supposition that they will attempt to do something, and the most available point to retrieve themselves by a cheap success is presented in my district. You are aware that there is only a portion of one company [Captain [John H.] Mickler's] acting as infantry in my command, stationed at Bluffton, and 390 old men and boys in the regiment South Carolina State troops. This body of militia cannot be depended on against disciplined troops, though it might do well at certain points as an auxil-