the verge of starvation. Cattle and horses were seized from loyal men, carried into the neighboring counties, sold, and the money divided, with much more to the same effect. At the instance of several respectable farmes who had been rendered by these robbereis unable to pay their taxes without selling real estate, I applied to the Secretary of the Treasury to make an arrangement for these damages to be assessed by the fax collectors for the county and have their taxes credited with the amount. The Secretary replied that he had nothing to do with it, and referred it to Mr. Seddon. The latter in a reply, received since I commenced writing this letter, says he can do nothing in the matter except to withold the salaries of the officers, if they can be convicted of permitting it. For that complaint I consider it impossible to get redress, and the women and little children, ruined by this conduct, must be fed by this State or starve to death. Do not, I pray you, misunderstand me in this regard. I know these things in a greater or less degree are inseparable from a state of war, and that it is utterly impossible for you to prevent them or to adequately redress them. But they to add to the discontents in North Carolina, to show which I allude to them in my letter, and prompt and kindly efforts to redress would cause these poor people to love their Government and support its laws far more than the terrors of the suspensin of the writ of habeas corpus and a display of force. To impress you with this was the object aimed at in my letter of the 9th ultimo. In conclusion, I would say that your letter should have received earlier attention at my hands, but for a press of official business since my return to Raleigh, after a short absence and and indisposition for several days past, which has hardly allowed me to attend to my ordinary duties.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

Z. B. VANCE.

[33.]

WILMINGTON, March 9, 1864.

Honorable J. A. SEDDON:

Telegram received directing me not to interfere with measures ordered by Navy Department. The order does not touch the question. I do not interfere. I stop all vessels the Navy wants stopped, but the commanding general must stop them. I command here, and can permit no interference by the Navy in my legitimate duty. Attention is called to the Sixty-second Article of War. I have received no order from the President specially assigning a portion of my duties to any other authority. I have asked him to withdraw Captain Lynch from this command. There has been, so far, no cossision, nor will there be unless it is forced upon me.

W. H. C. WHITING,

Major-General, Commanding.

[33.]

RICHMOND, VA., March 11, 1864.

Lieutenant General J. C. PEMBERTON:

MY DEAR SIR: You correctly suppose that your position is not due to a want of confidence or appreciation on my part. The circumstances which deprived you of a command belong to the chances of war. I thought, and still think, that you did right to risk an army for the

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