mounted. Upon this point the paper L 190 from General Lee* is conclusive. I would respectfully recommend that the First South Carolina Cavalry, Colonel Black, and the Second South Carolina Cavalry, Colonel Lipscomb, be ordered to proceed at once to South Carolina-the men by railroad with their baggage, the horses by highway, under detachments-their trains to remain where they are, and that the Fourth South Carolina Cavalry, Colonel Rutledge, the Fifth South Carolina Cavalry, Colonel Dunovant, and the Sixth South Carolina Cavalry, Colonel Aiken, be ordered to move at once to General Lee's army-the men with their baggage by railroad, and the horses and wagon trains of each, under detachments, by highway. There is, I think, or ought to be, a sufficient surplus of transportation in South Carolina to spare these trains, and their movement with the horses unloaded will be easy. This will give a brigade of South Carolina cavalry at least 3,000 strong to Brigadier-General Butler in place of he 300 Soulth Carolina troops now in his brigade.

The next point to make is to organize a cavalry brigade for Brigadier-General Young, a Georgian, out of the Georgia elements already under him and additional troops from Geogia. There is a Georgia cavalry regiment, Colonel Griffin (the Sixty-second), on the Blackwater, and a Confederate regiment, Colonel Taliaferro, on the same line. These two regiments are made up of ocmpanies, a part from Georgia and a part from North Carolina, a fact which is creating great dissatisfaction, and has called out a memorial from the North Carolina delegation. I am satisfied it will add much to the spirit and efficiency of these troops to organize them with reference to States. The rolls in this office do not reliably show their composition. I have telegraphed to General Pickett, and with this reply will be fully able to present the facts, and propose to make out of these and Millen's battalion, and the Georgia companies in the Jeff. Davis and the Phillips Legion, three Georgia regiments, two of which to constitute, with Cobb's Legion (nine companies) and a Georgia regiment from the coast, the brigade of General Young. I would then propose that these brigades (Butler's and Young's) be united with Gordon's North Carolina brigade to form Hampton's division, and that Rosser's brigade be transferred to Fitz. Lee's division of Virgianians. Every hour is valuable in this matter, and pending General Pckett's reply I would recommend, for the completion of this scheme, that the Fifth Geogia Cavalry, Colonel Anderson, be ordered to Virginia. It is at this moment in Florida. I name it because it is the best Geogia regiment on the coast. If you deem it preferable, however, to take a regiment now on the coast, you can select either the Fourth, Colonel Clinch, or the Seventh, Colonel White. The latter has just been organized as a regiment, and is near Savannah.

For the organization of the brigade to cover Richmond I would respectfully recommend that the companies commanded by Captains Keitt, Tucker, Sparks, Magee, Boykin, and Venning unattached, now on the South Carolina coast, be ordered to Richmond, and organized with the five companies of cavalry of the Holcombe Legion, Colonel Shingler, to form the Seventh South Carolina Cavalry. This will serve the much-desired purpose of separating the infantry and cavalry of this legion permanently and allowing the proper promotions in the infantry. The lieutenant colonelcy and majority will be original vacanies, to be filled by the President. The companies designated are all full and in admirable trim. In accordance with your suggestion, I

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* January 23, 1864, VOL. XXXIII, p. 1118.

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