CANTON, June 4, 1863.

Major-General WALKER, Yazoo City:

What garrison will Yazoo City require in addition to troops from Fort Pemberton? What supply of small-arm ammunition have you? Jackson arrived yesterday .

J. E. Johnston.

SHREVEPORT, La., June 4, 1863.

General JOSEPH E. Johnston, Commanding, &c.:

GENERAL: Anticipating the opening of our communications as the result of operations about Vicksburg and Port Hudson, I have sent [E.] Cunningham to the east side of the river, to take advantage of the first opportunity for pushing our supplies across the river. I have instructed him to go to you should any difficulty arise in his discharge of this duty. We have a large amount of stores, heavy artillery, and some 10,000 stand of small-arms awaiting transportation in Mississippi, whilst we have but three heavy guns in the District of Louisiana and Arkansas, and the few troops in the field are only in part armed and equipped. General Taylor, with [J. G.] Walker's DIVISION and Tappan's brigade from Arkansas, has been ordered by me to operate on Grant's communications between Young's Point and New Carthage. He disembarked on the Tensas, 12 miles from New Carthage, the 30th May. I have yet had no report of his operations.

I received your letter from Colonel [R. M.] JNO. It did my heart good to hear once again from you. Like yourself, I always refer to those days with the Army of the Potomac as the halcyon days of my service. I would willingly be back under your command at any personal sacrifice. I have a herculean task before me on this side the Mississippi. No army, no means; an empire in extent; no system, no order; all to be done from the beginning. I have entered upon my duties with misgivings, but believe the resources are here, and only require developing to make the department self-sustaining. Cunningham will give you all the news. My wife joins me in kind regards to yourself.

Your friend,

E. KIRBY SMITH.

HDQRS. FIFTH MIL. DEPT. MISS. AND E. La., Panola, June 4, 1863.

Brigadier General DANIEL RUGGLES, Comdg. First Mil. Dist., Okolona:

GENERAL: Your favor of the 2nd has just been received. The accounts which my scouts bring in of the number and disposition of the enemy's forces on the line of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad in my front are very conflicting. A week ago I received a detailed [statement of the enemy] in front, showing their strength at the different points as follows:*

Within the last four days I have been informed from one quarter that the enemy had been strongly re-enforced, and was preparing to make a raid in force into this part of the country, with the intention of destroying the wheat crop, which is now being harvested, and driving me from my present position, by attacking me in front with a force from Memphis or Germantown, and on the flank by a force from LA Grange, which would cross the Tallahatchee above this place and march down. Another report is, that considerable numbers of troops have been withdrawn from

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*See inclosure, p. 949.

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