County is not in my department. I will therefore not call out the militia from that county, but request hat the name of that may be inserted amongst those to be called out by the Government. I have also received the order to detach 5,000 men, and have given the necessary orders. I have to report that from the large number of fortified positions on the rivers a considerable portion of my force is composed of heavy artillery; that I have a line of twelve miles from Mulberry Point to Yorktown to defend, and that the infantry force remaining to me will be totally inadequate to its defense. The result must be, therefore, as I have said in a former letter to-day, that Yorktown and Mulberry Island Point will be in great danger. Should my attempt to resist the enemy between these two points prove unsuccessful I should have to fall back, saving but a small force to defend the passage at Williamsburg and Jamestown Island, and Yorktown would soon fall if from no other reason than that its supplies would be cut off; and the enemy passing up to West Point would probably cut off the remaining small force at my command, thus depriving the Government of the whole of a fine army which might have been useful elsewhere, or together, anywhere. I have the honor to request that this communication be laid before the Secretary of War and President.

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

J. BANKHEAD MAGRUDER,

Major-General, commanding.

[First indorsement.]

MARCH 7, 1862.

Respectfully submitted to Secretary of War.

S. COOPER,

Adjutant and Inspector General.

[Second indorsement.]

MARCH 8, 1862.

Inform General Magruder that if he has 1,000 stand of arms I prefer to send him a war regiment to receive them rather than give them to militia, and will send him such a regiment.

J. P. B.

[9.]

RICHMOND, March 4, 1862.

Hon. J. P. BENJAMIN,

Secretary of War:

SIR: We have understood that you have ordered Colonel Ransom's regiment of cavalry to Eastern North Carolina, and have likewise learned that an effort is being made to induce you to rescind that order and to permit the regiment to remain where it is at present. A very large proportion of the troops which North Carolina has in the field are now in Virginia, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The States has been invaded and the enemy has taken possession of a large portion of her territory, and the State has not now an adequate organized force to drive the invaders from her soil. We therefore most respectfully request that your order such regiments of her troops now in Virginia back to the defense of the State, provided it can be done without interfering with the public interest and consistently with the plans and designs of your Department. We hope that the public interest does not