of the Tallahassee evinced both ignorance of the events and disregard of the rights of others on whose services it was no part of his duty to report. General Bragg will inquire into the wants of the service at Wilmington, having been ordered there for that purpose before these letters were referred to me.

JEFF'N DAVIS.

SPECIAL ORDERS, ADJT. AND INSP. GENERAL'S OFFICE,

Numbers 242. Richmond, October 12, 1864.

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II. The commander of each company of the reserve forces of the State of Virginia will, under the direction of this battalion or regimental commander, immediately detail five of the most intelligent, active, and reliable men of this company who are under the age of forty-five years and order them to report for conscript guard thy to the enrolling officer of the county in which his company was ththy. Duplicates of the orders making such details will in all cases be forwarded to the headquarters of the reserve forces in Virginia. The details will be for sixty days, subject to be renewed or substituted at the discretion of the general of reserves.

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By command of the Secretary of War:

JNumbers WITHERS,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

[OCTOBER 13, 1864.-For Lee to Seddon, reporting engagement on the Darbytown road, see Part I, p. 853.]

HEADQUARTERS,
October 13, 1864-5.15 p. m.

Lieutenant General R. H. ANDERSON,

Commanding:

GENERAL: General Lee bids me say that he has received your note. He thinks General Field had better hold his present position to-night, and that the connections with Gary be made as suggested by General Stevens and yourself. Hoke will remain where he is, touching Field, and will extend to his right so as to throw Colquitt's brigade to the New Market road, and to-morrow General Lee will order one of the battalions which re-enforced us to-day to the line from there to Fort Gilmer. The enemy has gone back; they sent one brigade up the Poor-House road, which was driven back by Hoke's skirmishers.

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

C. S. VENABLE,

Aide-de-Camp.

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA,

Raleigh, October 14, 1864.

His Excellency JEFFERSON DAVIS,

President, &c.:

SIR: I beg leave to enter my most respectful and earned remonstrance against the sailing of the two privateers from the port of Wil-