DISTRICT OF EAST FLORIDA-Continued.

Company Second Florida Cavalry, Captain S. F. Rou.

Company Cavalry, Captain R. Harrison.

Company Cavalry, Captain W. Stephens.

Company Partisans, Captain S. W. Mays.

Company Partisans, Captain J. Q. Stewart.

Company Partisans, Captain John Westcott.

Company of Rangers, Captain P. B. Bird.

Milton (Florida) Light Artillery, Captain J. L. Dunham.

DISTRICT OF MIDDLE FLORIDA.

Brigadier General HOWELL COBB commanding.

First Georgia Regulars, Colonel William J. Magill.

First Florida Battalion Infantry (five companies).

Second Florida Cavalry (five companies).

Second Florida Battalion, Partisan Rangers (one company).

Leon (Florida) Light Artillery, Captain R. H. Gamble.

CHARLESTON, S. C., March 14, 1863.

MAXWELL and BAKER,

Senators from Florida, Richmond, Va.:

Can spare no troops or guns for Florida so long as enemy threatens in such overwhelming numbers this place and Savannah. Will do all I can soon as practicable to assists General Finegan.

G. T. BEAUREGARD.

CHARLESTON, S. C., March 14, 1863.

Colonel W. PORCHER MILES,

Member of Congress, Richmond, Va.:

MY DEAR COLONEL: I have just received your favor of the 8th instant,* and hasten to answer it as fully as practicable at this moment. I can well understand the perplexity of Mr. Seddon's position, but mine, I regret to say, as no less so. How I can successfully defend tow such important cities as Charleston and Savannah with about 25,000 men, as you say (scattered over 100 miles of country), is no easy problem. If it were not for the board moral effect of abandoning the railroad between here and Savannah I would not hesitate to do so under the present circumstances; but this would be equivalent to a victory for the enemy, and hence I have to hold the Savannah Railroad, which I believe could be cut by him at more than one point if he knew how and where to make his attack.

Last year, when he had about 15,000 men at Hilton Head, General Lee had over 40,000 men in the Department of South Carolina and Georgia; but now that the enemy has about 40,000 (not 30,000, as you suppose), I have only about 25,000 to oppose him with. Even with this disparity of numbers, however, I would not fear to encounter him in open field and with my forces well in hand; but, scattered as they are and must be, I have reason to doubt my ability to resist him long enough

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*Not found.

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