Abstract from return of the Army of Western Virginia and East Tennessee, Major General Samuel Jones, C. S. Army, commanding, October 31, 1863; headquarters Dublin Depot, W. Va.

Present for duty.

Command. Officers. Men. Effective Aggregate

total. present.

General staff. 20

------

--------

20

Ransom's division:

Staff. 7

------

--------

7

Corse's brigade infantry. 84 1,092 1,092 1,299

Wharton's brigade 56 904 904 1,071

infantry.

Jackson's brigade 52 309 309 398

infantry.

Jones' brigade cavalry. 103 1,480 1,480 1,699

William's brigade 139 1,253 1,253 1,528

cavalry.

King's battalion 20 386 386 441

artillery.

Total Ransom's division. 461 5,424 5,424 6,443

Unattached:

Echols' brigade infantry. 92 1,306 1,306 1,558

McCausland's brigade 37 692 692 814

infantry a.

Jenkins' brigade cavalry. 22 293 293 348

60th Virginia Infantry b.

-------

------

--------

--------

45th Virginia Infantry b.

-------

------

--------

--------

Three companies of 11 206 206 230

artillery.

Company of engineer 4 54 54 58

troops.

Total unattached. 166 2,551 2,551 3,008

Grand total. 647 7,975 7,975 9,471

CONTINUATION:

Command. Aggregate Aggregate Pieces of

present and last return. field

absent. artillery.

General staff. 21 20

----------

Ransom's division:

Staff. 7 7

----------

Corse's brigade infantry. 1,817 1,844

----------

Wharton's brigade 1,438 1,438

----------

infantry.

Jackson's brigade 1,049 1,049

----------

infantry.

Jones' brigade cavalry. 2,644

---------

----------

William's brigade cavalry. 2,510

---------

----------

King's battalion 566

---------

20

artillery.

Total Ransom's division. 10,031 4,338 20

Unattached:

Echols' brigade infantry. 2,225 2,168

----------

McCausland's brigade 931 916

----------

infantry a.

Jenkins' brigade cavalry. 1,756

---------

----------

60th Virginia Infantry b. 755 755

----------

45th Virginia Infantry b. 897 897

----------

Three companies of 378 380 15

artillery.

Company of engineer 73 64

----------

troops.

Total unattached. 7,015 5,170 15

Grand total. 17,067 9,528 35

a63rd Virginia not included in abstract.

bDetached from brigade.

[OCTOBER 31, 1863.-For organization of the Army of Western Virginia and East Tennessee, Major General Samuel Jones, C. S. Army, commanding, see Series I, Vol. XXIX, Part II, pp. 812, 813.]

WAR DEPARTMENT, C. S. A., Richmond, Va., October 31, 1863.

General JOSEPH E. JOHNSTON,

Commanding, &c.:

GENERAL: I have observed, from several telegrams lately received, that some inconvenience and perhaps annoyance has been caused to you by orders which have proceeded from the Quartermaster-General and Commissary-General to their subordinate officers, exacting, peculiarly to them, responsibility in the matter of supplies. I should regret exceedingly such effect on you, and can assure you that they have been made with no such intent, but to effectuate a more regular system of collecting and distributing supplies, which the general needs of the service induced the Department some time since to inaugurate, and which was announced by circulars sent forth some months since from their bureaus. It has been found necessary, for the collection and proper distribution of supplies among all the armies in the field, that the practice of allowing the respective command-