appreciate the great importance of thorough preparation, especially in regard to instant capacity to move. A similar request has been addressed to the Executive of each of the Confederate States. Asking an early reply to the suggestions above made.

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

L. P. WALKER.

A similar letter was addressed to the Governor of each of the following States, calling for the number of volunteer troops appended;

Florida, 1,500; Georgia, 3,000; Louisiana, 3,000; Texas, 3,000; Alabama, 3,000; Mississippi, 3,000.

CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA, WAR DEPARTMENT,

Montgomery, April 16, 1861.

His Excellency the GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA,

Tallahassee, Fla.:

In addition to the 1,500 troops for which I had the honor, under date of the 8th instant, to make a conditional call upon the State of Florida, I now beg leave to request Your Excellency to hold in readiness for instant movement 2,000 volunteer troops, armed and equipped, or as nearly so as practicable, and subject in all respects to requisitions from this Department as the troops called for in my letter of the 8th instant. This call is precisely similar, except as to number, and in addition to that of the 1,500.

The importance of holding the entire, force now and previously called for in absolute readiness Your Excellency will fully appreciate, in view of the hostile purpose of the Washington Government, as indicated in the recent proclamation of the President of the United States, which has just reached this Department and which, in the opinion of this Government, makes this additional call necessary.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

L. P. WALKER.

A ss addressed to the Governor of each of the following States, calling for additional volunteer troops, as follows:

Georgia, 5,000; Louisiana, 5,000; Mississippi, 5,000; South Carolina, 5,000; Texas, 5,000; Alabama, 5,000.

So far as appears by the foregoing letters, the Confederate Government had called into its military service 36,900 men before the attack on Fort Sumter, April 12, 1861, and on the of April, immediately after the surrender of that post, this number was increased by 32,000.

Besides the militia and volunteers placed at the disposal of the rebel leaders by the foregoing acts of their Congress, an act was approved on the 6th day of March establishing the Regular Army of the Confederate States of America, which was to be composed of one corps of engineers, one corps of artillery, six regiments of infantry, one regiment of cavalry, epartments already established by law. Subsequent acts authorized a zouave regiment and light artillery. The rules governing the recruitment of this force were taken verbatim from the Regulations for the Army of the United States, edition of 1857. To what extent this Regular Army was recruited does not appear.

On the 8th of May, 1861, an act to raise additional forces to serve during the war was approved, empowering the President, in addition to the volunteer force already authorized, to accept the services of volunteers who might offer themselves without regard to the place of enlistment, either as cavalry, mounted riflemen, artillery, or infantry, in such proportion of these several arms as he might deem expedient, to serve for and during the war unless sooner discharged, and to accept the volunteers so offering in companies, to be organized by him into squadrons, battalions, or regiments, and to appoint all field and staff officers, except the company officers, who were to be elected by the men composing the company; and if accepted, the officers so elected should be commissioned by the Pres