to spare, or can hear of any en route, I will be obliged to you to have them collected. You will also confer a favor by ordering provisions to be collected for this command at places en route. If you can hear of any transportation, either of the Government or citizens, the place where you stop upon the railroad en route for General Johnston, please order it there. I think you for the information you give me.

I wish when you receive information of General Johnston's movements you will let me know. I have sent three couriers, and not heard from him in reply. I shall endeavor to join him, either with or without transportation, trusting to collect sufficient for my, men as I move along.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

W. W. LORING.

CAMP, near Canton, May 20, 1863.

General BRAGG, Tullahoma, Tenn.:

Can you not order the three cavalry regiments near Tuscumbia to join Roddey, and supply their places from your army? I cannot hear of Roddey. We have had a heavy loss of artillery . Can you send some field guns, harness, and ammunition?

J. E. Johnston.

SELMA ARSENAL, May 20, 1863.

CHIEF OF STAFF,

General J. E. Johnston's Headquarters, Jackson, MISS.:

SIR: I have this day received from Ordnance Bureau the following telegram:

Send forward to General Johnston, under proper precautions for safety, any arms and ammunition required by General Johnston. Communicate with him or General Pemberton.

I have about 2,000 muskets and other arms of military pattern, which are being repaired as rapidly as possible with the means at my command. Besides these, I have about 10,000 sporting arms, chiefly rifles, all needing repairs in various degrees. Six thousand of these had been ordered to Arkansas, and are ready for shipment, but delayed by the intervention of the enemy.

The scarcity of lead renders it impossible to comply with the demands for ammunition to their full amount. Field ammunition for artillery is being prepared in quantities to meet the ordinary demands. All arms and ammunition, as fast as prepared for service, have been forwarded to the field, and usually to General Pemberton's command. There are now orders from Richmond for the supply of 1,500 country rifles to citizens of Mobile, through General Slaughter. This order is being filled as rapidly as possible. There are also orders for the supply of about 200 arms to two arms to two companies of riflemen recently organized at Columbus, MISS. It is impossible to state at what time these orders can be filled, owing to the various degrees of repairs required.

An inquiry has just been received by telegraph from Richmond, to learn whether or not I can supply 1,000 long-range rifles to General Ruggle's, at Okolona. There are not so many of that kind of arms on hand, but the order will remove all that may be. There are a number of arms ordered to my care for Governor Pettus, some of which have been received and await his orders.