will communicate them to General Lee as the reason for declining to entertain the charges on that point. If General Law has misbehaved at Lookour Mountain or elsewhere in the face of the enemy, charges should have been preferred, not injurious statements made in a letter to prejudice his case in a different transaction. General Longstreet has seriously offended against good order and military discipline, in rearresting an officer who had been released by the War Department, without any new offense having been alleged.

JEFFERSON DAVIS.

HEADQUARTERS HARDEE'S CORPS,
Dalton, Ga., April 8, 1864.

Lieutenant General JAMES LONGSTREET,

Greenville, East Tennessee:

MY DEAR GENERAL: I am in receipt of your letter of the 24th ultimo, in which you ask me to give you my recollections of the views expressed by you in the council at Missionary Ridge in November last in regard to any campaign for our army, and particularly your views in regard to the campaign in East Tennessee.

Your first proposition in that council was to turn the position of Chattanooga by crossing the Tennessee River with our army below Bridgeport, to march on Stevenson, destroy the depot at that place and move into Middle Tennessee. This was opposed, on the ground that our horses would starve before we could get forage for their subsistence; that the country over which we should have to pass was a barren wilderness, and that we could not reply on any supplies for man or beast before reaching Duck River. You replied, if that was the case and our horses would be five days without forage, that the plan was impracticable. You then proposed a movement into East Tennessee, and expressed the opinion that 15,000 men would be a force sufficient to destroy Burnside. Bragg stated that Sherman, with large re-enforcements, was on his way to join Grant, but he and others were of opinion that the army sent to East Tennessee could whip Burnside, and, if need be, return before Sherman could reach Chattanooga. It was agreed, also, that the movement in East Tennessee would compel Grant to sent re-enforcements to that quarter. The movement was decided on, and Bragg stated that he would send your corps, and would make such additions as would increase it to 15,000 men. I do not remember that anything was said by you touching the necessity, in view of this movement, of retiring the army behind the Chickamauga. It is but just to say, however, that if a proposition of that character had been made, it would not, in my opinion, have been approved by General Bragg.

With best wishes, very respectfully and truly, yours,

W. J. HARDEE,

Lieutenant-General.

HDQRS. FIRST CORPS, ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA,
April 27, 1864.

General R. E. LEE,

Commanding Army of Northern Virginia:

GENERAL: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of yesterday, informing me that "the President had declined