HEADQUARTERS
CONFEDERATE STATES ARMIES,
March 9, 1865.
HIS EXCELLENCY Z. B. VANCE,
Governor of North Carolina, Raleigh.
GOVERNOR: I received your letter of the 2d inst. and return
you my sincere thanks for your zealous efforts in behalf of the Army and the
cause. I have read with pleasure and attention your proclamation and appeal to
the people, as also extracts from your addresses. I trust you will infuse into
your fellow-citizens the spirit of resolution and patriotism which inspires
your own action. I have now no cavalry to spare for the purpose you mention,
and regret that I did not receive the suggestion at an earlier period. I think
it a very good one and would have been glad to adopt it. I have sent a force of
infantry under Brigadier-General Johnston (R. D.) to guard the line of the
Roanoke and operate as far as practicable in the adjacent counties to arrest
deserters. Another detachment of 500 men under Colonel McAllister has been sent
to Chatham and Moore counties, in which the bands of deserters were represented
to be very numerous. They will, however, operate in other quarters as occasion
may require. They are instructed to take no prisoners among those deserters who
resist with arms the civil or military authorities. I hope you will raise as
large a force of local troops to cooperate with them as you can, and think that
the sternest course is the best with the class I have referred to. The immunity
which these lawless organizations afford is a great cause of desertion, and
they cannot be too sternly dealt with. I hope you will be able to aid General
Johnston, who needs all the reinforcements you can give him. If he can check the
progress of General Sherman, the effect would be of the greatest value. I hope
the late success of General Bragg near Kinston will revive the spirits of the
people and render your labors less arduous. The conduct of the widow lady whom
you mention deserves the highest commendation. If all our people possessed her
spirit, our success I should feel to be assured.
Very respectfully,
your obedient servant,
R. E. LEE,
General.
SOURCE: John William Jones, Life and Letters of
Robert Edward Lee: Soldier and Man, p. 360
No comments:
Post a Comment