It is hardly necessary to remind you that it is not only proper, upon arriving at any military post or department or at the headquarters of an army in the field, to call upon the commanding officers, but that free conversations with such commanding officers afford the best means of obtaining the desired information.

You will communicate with this office by letter, from time to time, if you think it necessary, and, upon the completion of the duties herein assigned you, you will return to this city and report to me in person.

Very respectfully, yours,

JEFFERSON DAVIS.

EXHIBIT C.

HDQRS. ARMY OF TENNESSEE, ORDNANCE OFFICE,
Tullahoma, March -, 1863.

Colonel JOHNSTON.

Aide-de-Camp to the President of the Confederate States;

COLONEL: I have the honor to report the number of arms in hands of troops of this army consist as follows:

Infantry:

Smooth-bore percussion muskets............................ 11,869

Rifled arms of different calibers......................... 19,942

Total with infantry....................................... 31,811

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Cavalry:

Smooth-bore percussion muskets............................ 1,363

Rifles of different calibers.............................. 4,649

Carbiness of different calibers and musketoons............ 1,469

Double-barreled guns...................................... 773

Pistols (Colt's pattern).................................. 1,566

Pistols (percussion single-barreled)...................... 42

Total with cavalry........................................ 9,862

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Grand total in hands of army.............................. 41,673

The field artillery consists of-

12-pounder light guns...................................... 16

6-pounder guns............................................. 40

12-pounder howitzers....................................... 40

Rifled guns, caliber 3.80-inch, taken at Murfreesborough... 7

Rifled guns, caliber 3.68-inch, iron, taken at

Murfreesborough............................................ 2

Rifled guns, caliber 3.30-inch............................. 2

Rifled guns, caliber 3-inch (iron)......................... 11

Rifled guns, caliber 2.90-inch (iron Parrott).............. 6

Ellsworth's breech-loading................................. 1

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Total....................................................... 125

Independent of the above number of small-arms in hands of troops. 2,166 arms of different calibers are at Tullahoma Depot, and 2,040 arms of different calibers are at Chattanooga Depot. Six hundred of these arms were ordered to be issued to Colonel Avery's regiment of cavalry.

The arsenal at Atlanta, I am informed by the Ordnance Bureau, is exclusively adapted to repair arms and furnish supplies for this army. Five hundred arms are weekly repaired at that arsenal.

The ammunition is supplied to infantry-140 rounds to each man- 40 or which is carried in cartridge-boxes and 100 on regimental wagons, in charge of ordnance sergeants, under the superintendency of ordnance officers of each brigade. The ammunition supplied for the Enfield rifles