General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard to Colonel William Porcher Miles, March 16, 1862

Private.

JACKSON, TENN., March 16th, 1862.

My dear Colonel,—Can you not wake up the authorities to the great danger of our army here, and necessarily of the Mississippi Valley, from lack of proper organization-all due to a want of brigadiers? I have been trying for the last month and over, indeed, before I left Centreville, to have a certain number of them appointed, but all to no purpose. Are we, for the sake of a little economy in the pay of said officers, to jeopardize all we have at stake in this contest? Why, then, not authorize generals in the field to appoint acting brigadier and major generals, when in their judgment required, but without additional pay, until approved of by the President or Congress?

Bragg, Polk, and myself applied, a few days ago, for ten general officers; today we are informed that four are appointed, of whom two can't be here for one week! in the meantime a part of this army is in a state of chaos, and fifteen thousand new levies will soon be in the field! What in the world shall I do with them? Will not Heaven open the eyes and senses of our rulers? Where in the world are we going to, if not to destruction? Time is all-precious now; the enemy will soon be upon us, and, to cap the climax, I cannot get well. I am better, but the least excitement throws me back. We must cheer up, however. With good troops and enough of them, there is a chance, at this moment, of making a beautiful ten strike, but it would be risking too much in the present condition of affairs; we would lose too much if I failed. The problem here is very difficult. I have to look to the safety of this army and yet keep the Mississippi River closed; the latter a most difficult undertaking with our present means. By-the-bye, there were six brigades in Polk's army without brigadier-generals, commanded by colonels according to rank. You may imagine what kind of commanders some of them make, and what kind of brigades they have!

I enclose you copy of a telegram sent this day to the War Department. My kind regards to friends.

Yours truly,

G. T. BEAUREGARD.

Col. W. P. MILES, Member of Congress, Richmond, Va.

SOURCE: Alfred Roman, The Military Operations of General Beauregard in the War Between the States: 1861 to 1865, Vol. 1, pp. 512-3

Diary of John Beauchamp Jones: February 26, 1865

Cloudy and cool; rained all night. No news from the South, this morning. But there is an ugly rumor that Beauregard's men have deserted to a frightful extent, and that the general himself is afflicted with disease of mind, etc.

Mr. Hunter is now reproached by the slave-owners, whom he thought to please, for defeating the Negro bill. They say his vote will make Virginia a free State, inasmuch as Gen. Lee must evacuate it for the want of negro troops.

There is much alarm on the streets. Orders have been given to prepare all the tobacco and cotton, which cannot be removed immediately, for destruction by fire. And it is generally believed that Lieut.-Gen. A. P. Hill's corps has marched away to North Carolina. This would leave some 25,000 men to defend Richmond and Petersburg, against, probably, 60,000.

If Richmond be evacuated, most of the population will remain, not knowing whither to go.

The new Secretary of War was at work quite early this morning. The "Bureau of Conscription" and the Provost Marshal's office are still "operating," notwithstanding Congress has abolished them both.

SOURCE: John Beauchamp Jones, A Rebel War Clerk's Diary at the Confederate States Capital, Volume 2, p. 434