mander, his report should have been made to me. I respectfully ask, therefore, that it be sent me. I require it in making my own report. This request was made by me on the 12th of September.

J. E. Johnston.

MACON, MISS., October 28, 1863.

General S. COOPER, Adjt. and Insp. General, Richmond, Va.:

GENERAL: When I last had the honor of seeing you in Richmond, you informed me you had written to General Joseph E. Johnston, in reference to certain charges he might desire to prefer against me. If the charges have been presented in due form, I respectfully request a copy of them. If General Johnston has formally declined to prefer charges, I respectfully solicit a copy of the letter(if received) in which he so declines.

I have the honor to be, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

W. H. McCARDLE,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

RICHMOND, December 4, 1863.

Captain W. H. McCARDLE, Macon, MISS:

SIR: No charges against you have been preferred by General J. E. Johnston. A letter from him, dated September 12, 1863, complaining of certain published statements by you in relation to General Pemberton, was referred to the President on the 21st September, who has not returned it or given any instructions on the subject up to this time.

Very respectfully, &c.

S. COOPER.

RICHMOND, December 28, 1863.

General JOSEPH E. Johnston:

DEAR SIR: I received your letter some time since in regard to your report, and called at the War Department to see it, but I learned there that the House of Representatives had called for it, and that it would soon be printed. That report was not necessary to satisfy me in regard to your Mississippi campaign. I had read your letters to General Wigfall, and the explanation which they gave seemed to me to be sufficient.

You are much mistaken if you suppose that you are not held in high estimation in your own State. I believe that there was a general wish in Virginia that you should be intrusted with the command of the Southwestern army. Such was the feeling, I am sure, in both

Houses of Congress, and I may add for myself that I have felt much safer since I knew that you were ordered to Dalton.

That you have an arduous task before you, I am aware. If I can be of any help toward procuring such orders as you may think necessary for success, I shall be happy to aid. It is but little, however, that I can do. If you could manage to reorganize your army, and move in advance of the Yankee army in the next campaign, it would be a great thing, as it seems to me. Whether or not this can be done, I know not. I trust to you to do whatever is best. If we could recover Tennessee next