Abstract from tri-monthly return of the Department of Richmond, Major General Arnold Elzey, C. S. Army, commanding, January 10, 1864; headquarters Richmond, Va.

Present for duty.

Command. Officers. Men. Effective Aggregate

total present

present.

General 9 .... ..... 9

staff...

Richmond 81 1,322 1,454 1,697

Defenses..

Hunton's 107 1,095 1,082 1,394

brigade...

Chaffin's 21 313 398 449

brigade...

Drewry's 17 341 405 446

Bluff...

Maryland 22 254 254 316

Line...

Total... 248 3,325 3,593 4,302

Hunton's

command:

3rd

Virginia

Cavalry,

Company B

Holcome 38 435 430 597

Legion

Cavalry

42nd

Virginia

Battalion

Cavalry..

1st 17 275 275 330

Maryland

Cavalry...

Total 55 710 705 927

cavalry...

Artillery

Reserve,

&c.:

Cooper's 5 101 101 116

battery..

Baltimore 4 71 71 82

Artillery.

Richmond 8 268 288 314

Defenses..

Chaffin's 12 244 243 294

Farm...

Total... 29 684 703 806

Grand 341 4,719 5,001 6,044

total...

Prisoners of war.

Command. Aggregate Officers. Men. Pieces

present and artillery.

absent.

General 11 ... ... ....

staff...

Richmond 1,980 2 42 ...

Defenses..

Hunton's 2,542 43 347 ....

brigade...

Chaffin's 516 .... ... 18

brigade...

Drewry's 494 ... ... 12

Bluff...

Maryland 504 4 123 ....

Line...

Total... 6,036 49 512 30

Hunton's

command:

3rd

Virginia

Cavalry,

Company B

Holcome 1,057 3 4 ...

Legion

Cavalry

42nd

Virginia

Battalion

Cavalry..

1st 595 4 100 ....

Maryland

Cavalry...

Total 1,652 7 104 ...

cavalry...

Artillery

Reserve,

&c.:

Cooper's 118 ... .... 4

battery..

Baltimore 98 1 8 3

Artillery.

Richmond 360 ... .... 14

Defenses..

Chaffin's 314 ... 1 10

Farm...

Total... 890 1 9 31

Grand 8,589 57 625 6

total...

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA,
January 11, 1864.

His Excellency JEFFERSON DAVIS,

President Confederate States, Richmond, Va.:

Mr. PRESIDENT: I beg leave to apologize to Your Excellency for troubling you with subjects which properly ought not to come under your notice, but sometimes I find it impossible to accomplish what is desirable without invoking the aid of all in authority, even including yourself.

The present is a subject of great importance in our crying necessity for food, and the evil may extend further than has been brought to my knowledge, a d may exist on distant lines of communication. Recently we have found that the amount of meat invoiced to the army at Richmond is not received here. The practice is at every depot where provisions are received for the commissary to whom they are consigned to be present on the arrival of the train with a guard to take charge of them and see that they correspond with the invoices. A statement is inclosed of the deficiencies discovered, which, in the aggregate, amount to 5,000 pounds of bacon. At our present rate of issue this is equal to 20,000 rations, and is intolerable. The meat is loaded on the cars in Richmond in pieces, each piece counted and the whole number and weight given in the invoice and railroad manifest. Whether the railroad agent verifies the accuracy railroad is not responsible for the safety of the provisions, but all is