Your answer to the Secretary is such as I would expect from a true soldier and patriot as yourself. But I cannot take upon myself to decide in this matter. You are the proper person, on consultation with your medical advisers. I do not know how much ought to be attributed to long absence from the field, general debility, or the result of your injury, but I was in constant fear during the last campaign that you would sink under your duties or destroy yourself. In either event injury might have resulted. I last spring asked for your appointment provided you were able to take the field. You now know from experience what you have to undergo, and can best judge of your ability to endure it. I fear we cannot anticipate less labor than formerly.

Wishing you every happiness, and that you may be able to serve the country to the last,

I am, very truly, yours,

R. E. LEE,

General.

WAR DEPARTMENT, C. S. A.,

Richmond, Va., January 18, 1864.

His Excellency R. HAWES,

Governor of Kentucky, Richmond, Va.:

SIR: Your letter of the 7th instant, urging that General J. S. Williams be assigned to a command, has been received and referred by the President to this Department. In reply, I have the honor to say that the difficulty, which at present exists to assigning General Williams to command, in the pendency of charges against him, is understood, and will be appreciated by Your Excellency. They will, of course, have first to be disposed of, and every proper facility will be afforded by the Department for their investigation and decision.

Without entering minutely into the abortive efforts which General Williams is represented to have made to obtain a proper command by raising troops, it may be sufficient to say that only in the case of the assignment of General Preston to General Marshall's command, in preference to General Williams, has this Department been instrumental in defeating his wishes, and strong considerations of policy connected with the relations held by General Preston to that portion of the country induced such preference. I do not understand either the merits of General Preston or the force of these considerations to be controverted. General Williams' energy, enterprise, and local knowledge have not been unappreciated, as he has been made a brigadier-general, even when his command hardly entitled him to the position. If the arrangements of the commands of the military, department rendered necessary the reduction of General William's command it may be matter of regret, but should hardly be of complaint, by him or his friends. It is impossible to say in the contingencies of the service what command may be assigned to General Williams should the charges against him be, as it is hoped, dissipated; but I can only say no prejudice or want of appreciation by the Department shall operate against the due recognition of his claims or merits.

Very respectfully,

JAMES A. SEDDON,

Secretary of War.