will neither aid nor abet any man, or set of men, nor any army, that allows women either to be insulted or robbed.

May the great Head of the Church guide and guard you is the daily prayer of your humble, obedient servant,

C. FRANKLIN,

Colonel, Provisional Army of the Confederate States of America.

[Indorsement.]

JANUARY 19, 1864.

ADJUTANT-GENERAL:

For attention. For the particular case, it would be well to send a copy of the within to General E. Kirby Smith, that he may have due inquiry made, with a view to the suppression of such shameful outrages as are described.

JEFFERSON DAVIS.

HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF ARKANSAS,
November 6, 1863.

General S. COOPER,

Adjt. and Insp. General, Richmond, Va.:

SIR: I have just completed the inspection of the infantry command of Lieutenant-General Holmes, which I have made as I can. I regret that I regret that I am not able to forward you a report in detail. The risk of dispatches being captured in transit is so great that I have concluded it is best to defer forwarding my report until I hear from you, believing myself it will be safer and more satisfactory to you to bring my report in person than to incur the risk. In consultation with Lieutenant-Generals Smith and Holmes on the subject, they fully concur with me that it would be unsafe to trust my consolidated reports to the hands of any one to cross the river. I can, when I have completed my inspection of the department, cross the Mississippi River before I write my report. I therefore shall await your orders on the subject.

The morale of the army has greatly improved in the last month, and the ranks are again filling up slowly. The retreat from the valley of the Arkansas was very demoralizing to the army, and a great many desertions occurred; this has all stopped now. The soldiers are well fed, and the clothing generally good. The commander, together with the officers under him, are doing everything that can be done to supply the wants of the men, and I am happy to say they are zealous and sober and efficient, and ready at all times promptly to correct errors or abuses as the same are detected and brought to their notice. The disbursing officers, as far as my labors have been extended, are capable, honest, economical, and sober.

The great wants of the district are men, arms, and money. With 3,000 or 4,000 re-enforcements, the commander would be able to reoccupy the valley of the Arkansas, which is of the first importance to the Trans-Mississippi Department. The want of arms greatly embarrasses the operations. Ten thousand stand are needed immediately for the use of the infantry and cavalry (one-third suited for cavalry). The importance of this subject I cannot too strongly impress upon you, and in this connection I would state that at least thirty thousand stand are needed for the department, one-third of which should be suited for cavalry. If it was known that arms were here in proper quantities, it would give great impetus to military matters. The artillery arm of the service in the district is being improved greatly by the addition of horses; still, it is not so efficient as I hope soon it will be. The guns are in excellent