Under the provisions of the amnesty granted by the President, they will be exempted from that punishment which is justly awarded to such grave military offenses. Pyron's regiment will be reorganized at Austin, under special orders from district headquarters of the 20th August, 1863, when it will march without delay to Louisiana, and report to General Taylor for duty.

The commanding general trusts this regiment will return to duty determined to sustain the reputation they had so gallantly earned, and which has hitherto been so deservedly awarded with price by the citizens of their State.

By command of Lieutenant General E. Kirby Smith:

S. S. ANDERSON,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF TEXAS, &c.,
Near Millican, September 4, 1863.

Brigadier General W. R. BOGGS,

Chief of Staff:

GENERAL: I have received your letter of the 28th ultimo, and notified you of the same a few days since.

You directed me to-

Concentrate all of your [my] available force near the Red River and remove your [my] headquarters to some point near the troops, and personally supervise their movements.

In pursuance of these orders, which I received at Houston, I accompanied the Third Regiment of Texas Infantry to a point this place, arriving here last night. Millican, 7 miles from here, is the northern terminus of the railroad in this direction. There is no water, though, at that point, and the troops have to be encamped in the neighborhood where they can find it. I directed Griffin's battalion from Sabine pass and Gould's regiment from the mouth of the Brazos to be concentrated in this neighborhood, where a battery of artillery had also been sent en route to Bonham. I ordered that portion of Pyron's regiment which is at San Antonio to move to Bonham, and constitute a brigade of these troops, to be commanded by Acting Brigadier-General Luckett. Acting Brigadier General Steele, who has fallen back, being pursued by the enemy, to Boggy Depot. I also ordered about 1,800 of the State cavalry to proceed to Bonham, and report to Brigadier-General GaNumbers The rest of the State troops are mostly infantry, and are entirely unarmed. It is my duty to state, for the information of the lieutenant-general commanding, that in taking these troops from the defense of the coast, I am compelled to leave vital points on the coast almost destitute of the means of defense. These troops concentrated near here will remain where they are, waiting wagons for transportation, until the lieutenant-general commadning, if he answers promptly, will be enabled to decide as to their further disposition.

The question now presents itself, and cannot be avoided, as to the relative importance of the different sections of Texas to be defended; and, in the first place, I would remark that, in consequence of the scarcity of water between this place and Bonham at this season of the year, it is almost impossible to march a regiment of infantry in a body to that point, and that not more than two companies of cavalry can be sent forward in a body, and, further, when the rains do commence, the