them with a detailed report of his action in the premises to his commanding officer, who will turn over the egoods and other property seized to the nearest marshall or deputy marshal of the Confederate States, taking a receipt for the same setting forth the quantity, kind, and description of the property and the person or persons from whom the same was taken, and shall forward said receipt, together with the report of the officer making the seizure, to these headquarters.

V. Whenever there may be danger that property permitted by the Secretary of War to be exported may fall into the hands of the enemy, or it be imprudent for other reasons t permit persons to pass the lines, the commissioned officer commanding the pickets will require the carrier not to proceed, or may direct him to pursue a different route, or abandon his trip, as may be most expedient. The existence of circumstances requiring the exercise of this authority will habitually be made part of the general instructions of officers in charge of pickets.

VI. Commandants of posts within the lines of the army, and officers commanding troops belonging to the same, wherever stationed, will in like manner and under like circumstances take possession of any of the articles above enumerated which they may find apparently on the way to the United States, or to any part of the Confederate States in the occupation of the enemy, and not having the permission of the Secretary of War, and dispose of the same, together with the vehicles, animals, and slaves used in transporting them, in the manner above prescribed, forwarding the receipt of the marshal or his deputy with a full report of the sizure to these headquarters.

VII. In the execution of the foregoing regulations no waste, spoliation, damage, or injury of any kind shall be done to the property, nor shall it or any part of it be disposed of, expect as above directed. All seizures and examinations will be made only under the personal supervision of the commissioned officers aboo will be responsible for the prompt and safe delivery of the property as directed.

[33.]

CHARLESTON, S. C., March 30, 1864.

General L. T. WIGFALL,

North Garden Depot, Albemarle County, Va.:

MY DEAR SIR: Your letter of the 20th instant has just been received. Your recollections of the matter referred to are corect and cannot be denied. General G. W. Smith has sin his possession a written statement of the facts in the case, which, I have no doubt, he would furnish you with pleasure on application. The discussion between the President, General Johnston, and myself took place at my quarters in Fairfax Court-House about the end of October, 1861. W asked for 60,000 or 70,000 men to take the offensive and cross the Potomac. The President answered that he had not them to spare, but that a part of our forces could cross at or about Evansport to attack Sickles, which was, of course, refused, because we were too weak already in front of McClellan, and we did not command sufficiently the Potomac at that point to permit us to send a sufficient force on its east bank to effect anything worth the risk. Such are my recollections at present. For obvious reasons I do not desire my name mixed up with the discussion, byt my testimony will be at your service whenever absolutely required to vindicate the truth of history.

Yours, very sincerely,

G. T. BEAUREGARD.

[2.]