Tennessee Regiment. Also the Mississippi regiment commanded by the late Colonel A. K. Blythe shall be styled the Forty-fourth Mississippi Regiment, and the Alabama regiment commanded by Colonel J. G. colart shall be known as the Fiftieth Alabama Regiment.

* * * *

By command of the Secretary of War:

John WITHERS,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

[23.]

SHELBYVILLE, June 6,1 863.

(Received at Canton 7th.)

General J. E. JOHNSTON:

Assistance has been sent Grant from Corinth and West Tennessee, and possibly by Burnside from Kentucky, but nothing from Rosecrans, who has received 4,000 re-enforcements in the past few days. My forces are all forward and pressing on him, but the indications are, and prisoners confirm, that he is about to advance. We shall watch him and strike if he gives an opportunity.

BRAXTON BRAGG.

[23 and 24.]

BENELA, MISS., June 6, 1863.

Honorable J. A. SEDDON,

Secretary of War:

SIR: Since I reached North Mississippi I have been endeavoring to organize companies under the act of Congress passed at the session before the last authorizing the organization of companies of twenty men or more for the purpose of local defense. The difficulty I meet with is the apprehension that companies organized under that act will be liable to be ordered away from home wherever they may be required as Confederate troops. I endeavor to meet the objection by stating the origin and purpose of the act, and by showing that upon its face it contemplates only local or neighborhood defense, and the companies raised under it must be composed of men not subject to military duty. The bill was gotten up by Honorable Mr. Chambers and myself with a special reference to the condition of affairs in North Mississippi, where all of our men liable to military duty are in the regular service and where we are exposed to marauding bands of the enemy. The object was to enable our citizens remaining at home to place themselves in a condition to repel these raids, and, if captured, to entitle them to the rights and privileges of prisoners of war. We have old men enough to accomplish this object, who will avail themselves of the provisions of this act if they can be assured that they will not thereby place themselves in a position to be thrown into regiments or ordered away from home. With such an organization Grierson's raid would not have proved a success and our wheat crop, which is a very abundant one, can be secured and the private property of the citizens protected. Brigadier General J. R. Chalmers, as you are aware, has charge of all the forces in North Mississippi, and my purpose in writingom you such an assurance as will satisfy the people of my district that they may safely orgnaize under the act referred to without exposing themselves to the risk of being ordered by him or any other Confederate commander away from