a battalion of artillerists, raised in New Orleans and trained here to the use of heavy guns. The country in East Louisiana and Mississippi has been so drained of its population that men cannot be raised there beyond a very limited extent, and until your operations may enable you to relieve the Kentucky troops I do not see how they can be replaced.

Very truly, your friend,

JEFFERSON DAVIS.

[17.]

STATE OF FLORIDA, EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT,

Tallahassee, August 5, 1862.

Honorable GEORGE W. RANDOLPH,

Secretary of War:

SIR: There is not at this time an organized regiment int his State. Companies are stationed at different places, but at no point in sufficient numbers and with suitable arrangements for defense against invasion by the enemy in moderate force. their is no organization of the militai, not even a militia company, and there are so few liable to militia duty in the several distircts or beats that no organization can be made agreeably tot he provisions of the statutes of the State. But I shall endeavor to form into volunteer companies all not subject to the act relative to conscripts, and there possibly will be enough to form two regiments, if all who are able to bear arms, without respect to age, will volunteer. The enemy command the Saint John's River, and are in possession of Saint Augustine and Fernadina, in East Florida. In West Florida, Pensacola, Apalachicola, Saint Joseph's and Saint Adnrew's Bays are blockaded and entirely unpotected. The highest vote ever cast in the State was 12,898. Eight infantry and one cavalry regiments, besides indepaendent companies enough to form a tenth regiment, have been ordered from and left the State in Confederate service. In the State are one infantry battalion, eight cavalry, two artillery, and three independent infantry companies, in the aggregate not mffective men. Scarcely a man to every mile of coast by which we are exposed to the power of the enemy. The artillery companies can render no service unless sustained by infantry or cavrly, but are liabvle to destruction or capture, and are an expenxve arm of serivce. It would be better if the two companies were attached to brigades in Virginia or elsewhere, where they could render efficient service, provided we had other means of defense here. Captain DUnham, who was stationed at the Mount Vernon Arsenal, was very anxious to be ordered, with his battery, into active service, and commands the oldest, best drilled, largest, and best equipped artillery company which has been raised in the State, and was the first to volunterer for the wr. But Captain Martin's battery was ordered from East Florida, transported at great expense upward of 200 miles across the State to Chattahoochee River, and, by order, took from Captain Dunham's battery a large portion of their horses, and proceeded up the CHattahoochee River to report to the officer in command at Chattanooga, fromt he point at which Captain Dunham was stationed. Soon after, horses were tansported down the river for Captain DUnham's battery, and he ordered with his battery across the State, upon Captain Martin's back tracxk to the position from which he had been ordered. Is it not difficult to justify such useless expense to the Government and injustice to the claims which Caaptain Dunham and his company had to puyblic confidence! Both Captain Martin and Captain Dunham