his previous orders as to the movements of your division. You will instruct Brigadier-General Dockery still to remain in the neighborhood of the Mississippi, and in event of your being ordered away he will report to Brigadier-General Liddell, and will be required to remain with his command on his present duty as long as the necessity for his services exists.

I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

C. S. WEST,

Captain and Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS TRANS-MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT, Shreveport, La., January 18, 1864.

His Excellency Governor MURRAH,
Austin, Tex.:

SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of the communication of Your Excellency of date of January 3, inclosing a printed copy of an act of the State Legislature, providing for the organization of a force for the protection of the Indian frontier of Texas, and also for the transfer of the Frontier Regiment to the service of the Confederate States. Your remarks in the same communication as to the disposition of troops that should be made to insure security and inspire confidence along that extended frontier line have been entirely considered. I have invariably left the disposition of their forces to the judgment of each district commander, and in reference to the Frontier Regiment, when transferred to the Confederate service its disposition will also be left to Major-General Magruder. Your letter has, however, been inclosed to him with the following indorsement:

Respectfully referred to General Magruder for his information. From a long experience on this Indian frontier and an acquaintance with its geography, the commanding general would suggest that the disposition of the Frontier Regiment in two batteries at Forts Clarke and Belknap would leave the intermediate line in an exposed condition if its defense is committed to that regiment. A force would be well stationed at the points suggested by Governor Murrah, at Camp Colorado and on the Llano.

In your communication you state, under the act in question, it is estimated that a force of 1,800 or 2,200 men will be called into the State service. This number you think insufficient for frontier defense. I would state, in reference to this subject, that it is a much larger force than has heretofore been employed for that purpose, and if the Frontier Regiment be added to it, as you desire, would swell the force exclusively engaged in frontier defense to nearly 3,000 men. This seems to be a much larger number than should be required for that purpose.

There is a conflict between the act inclosed and the conscript act. The parties sought to be organized under the act of the Legislature are clearly subject to enrollment under the conscript act, unless it was specially suspended in their favor. This power of suspension is vested in the President exclusively. It is to be regretted that the Legislature should have passed an act so well calculated to produce an unpleasant issue between the State and Confederate authorities. At your desire I will direct that the further enrollment of persons under the conscript act within the limits designated be postponed until you can have an opportunity of presenting the matter to the President, with a view to its suspension within the localities desig-