Brig. Gen. Philip St. George Cocke to Col. Robert S. Garnett on His Rank

CORRESPONDENCE, ORDERS, AND RETURNS RELATING TO OPERATIONS IN MARYLAND, PENNSYLVANIA, VIRGINIA, AND WEST VIRGINIA FROM APRIL 16 TO JULY 31, 1861

CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. – CONFEDERATE

O. R. – Series I – VOLUME 2 [S #2] CHAPTER IX, p. 823

Headquarters Potomac Department,
Culpeper Court-House, Va., May 9,1861.

Col. R. S. Garnett: I send herewith a copy of the orders under which I assumed command of officers of all grades on the line of the Potomac, along the entire boundary of the State as marked by said river, holding commission as brigadier general of volunteers, by authority of the governor and council, and confirmed by the Convention.

Very respectfully, your most obedient,

PHILIP ST. GEO. COCKE,
Brigadier-General, Commanding Potomac Department.

[Inclosure.]

Richmond, Va., April 21, 1861.

The council of state, in absence of the governor, directs that officers of all grades on the line of the Potomac shall obey the orders of General P. St. George Cocke, who has been assigned by the governor to the command of that section of the military operations of the State bounded by said river.

By order of the council of state:

JOHN J. ALLEN,
President of the Council.

Maj. Gen. Robert E. Lee to Col. Thomas J. Jackson Directing Him to Not Move Into Maryland, and on Aid to Harper’s Ferry

CORRESPONDENCE, ORDERS, AND RETURNS RELATING TO OPERATIONS IN MARYLAND, PENNSYLVANIA, VIRGINIA, AND WEST VIRGINIA FROM APRIL 16 TO JULY 31, 1861

CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. – CONFEDERATE

O. R. – Series I – VOLUME 2 [S #2] CHAPTER IX, p. 822

Headquarters Virginia Forces,
Richmond, Va., May 9, 1861.

Col. T. J. Jackson, Commanding, &c., Harper’s Ferry, Va.;

Colonel: I have received your letter of the 6th instant, and am gratified at the progress you have made in the organization of your command. I hope some of the field officers directed to report to you will have arrived and entered on their duties. In your preparation for the defense of your position it is considered advisable not to intrude upon the soil of Maryland, unless compelled by the necessities of war. The aid of its citizens might be obtained in that quarter. I regret I have no engineer of experience to send you. You will have to rely upon your judgment and the aid of the oflicers with you. I have directed that four 6-pounder guns be forwarded to you as soon as possible, and two 12-pounder howitzers, with a supply of ammunition and equipment for firing, will be sent to you at once. There are no caissons. Horses, wagons, and harness will be procured near you by an agent of the quartermaster’s department, sent for the purpose.

Captain Pendleton’s company of artillery from Lexington will join you as soon as possible, with such field pieces as it has. Flour and provisions for use of the troops must be secured. In other respects it is not designed to embarrass the legitimate commerce of our citizens.

I have directed that one thousand muskets, obtained from North Carolina, be sent to you, to aid in arming your command and to respond to requisitions that may be made upon you by Colonel Porterfield. Your requisitions upon the staff department at headquarters, as far as possible, will be filled.

Respectfully, &c.,

R. E. LEE,
Major- General, Commanding.

Brig. Gen. Philip St. George Cocke to Col. Robert S. Garnett, on Troop Strength

CORRESPONDENCE, ORDERS, AND RETURNS RELATING TO OPERATIONS IN MARYLAND, PENNSYLVANIA, VIRGINIA, AND WEST VIRGINIA FROM APRIL 16 TO JULY 31, 1861

CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. – CONFEDERATE

O. R. – Series I – VOLUME 2 [S #2] CHAPTER IX, pp. 818-819

Headquarters Potomac Department,
Culpeper Court-House, Va., May 8, 1861.

Col. R. S. Garnett:

Your order of May 7, this moment received, stating that “The general in command is in want of information from you as to the strength and organization of your command, and begs that you will supply him with it at the earliest possible moment. The return due on the 1st instant by General Orders, No. 4, has not been received. The general desires particularly to know with what force you can take the field, provided any movement is made against you from Washington; how it would be composed, officered, and what service could be counted on from it.” I have to say in reply that, coming to this command with “naked hands” and in my plantation dress, arriving in Alexandria on the morning of the 22d of April, I have had everything to do towards organization, with extremely limited means of accomplishing anything. It has been entirely impracticable, in consequence of the want of my proper staff, until very recently, to initiate the means of obtaining the regular, formal, and full company returns and other returns which would show the strength and organization of the weak, unorganized, and widely-scattered force under my command.

The assistant adjutant-general, since his appointment and entrance upon duty, has taken the most active steps to accomplish the objects desired by the commanding general. Those steps will be persevered in. Such partial returns as I have been able to obtain from time to time from captains, both in regard to number of men, arms, and ammunition, and general equipment, have been forwarded to the headquarters at Richmond, and will be found on file there.

The assistant adjutant-general, Jones, has this morning left me, by my order, under the pressing emergency of sending the only experienced officer of the army at my command to march with the Powhatan troop this moment en route for Manassas Junction, to assist in collecting, establishing, and organizing at that point the force that I may be able to command, to carry into effect the order of the general-in-chief, received yesterday, to occupy and hold that point against any probable attack of the enemy. I propose to follow myself to-morrow with such other forces as I can gather, going “by rail” to the same point, and thus to effect a contemporaneous arrival at Manassas Junction. This necessary absence of the assistant adjutant-general from these headquarters, together with the yet unorganized state of the general staff and the inexperience of many of the captains of many of the companies, will yet cause some delay in making regular army returns.

I beg, however, that the general-in-chief will have collated from my dispatches and reports from the beginning the information therein imparted in this connection, and which may thus furnish him with an approximate estimate and exhibit at least of the available forces heretofore and now at my command.

In order to facilitate the accomplishment of this object, I will here briefly indicate from the best sources I possess the present character and disposition of what available force I have. (See statement inclosed.)

Very respectfully,

PHILIP ST. GEO. COCKE,
Brigadier-General, Commanding Potomac Department.

[Inclosure.]

Headquarters Potomac Department,
Culpeper Court-House, May 8,1861.

Company E, Sixth Battalion, Capt. S. H. Devaughn, 100 men in all, 50 muskets, .58 caliber; no ammunition.

Company H, Sixth Battalion, Capt. M. Marye, 69 men in all, 50 muskets, .58 caliber; no ammunition; in Alexandria now.

Company G, Sixth Battalion, Lieut. A. Herbert, 88 men in all, 51 muskets, .69 caliber; no ammunition; in Alexandria now.

Company, Fairfax Rifles, W. H. Dulany, captain, 51 men armed, and have 940 cartridges; Fairfax Station.

Company, Washington Volunteers, Captain Sherman, 113 men, unarmed and ununiformed; no ammunition; here.

Company, Richardson Guards, Capt. J. Welsh, 80 men, 1,000 caps and cartridges and equipments; Madison Court-House.

Company, Home Guards, J. Latouche, 100 men, flint-lock muskets, caliber .69; in Alexandria; no equipments or ammunition.

Two companies, Irish, now at Manassas Junction, with altered muskets; no equipments or ammunition.

Company, Captain Porter, now here, 71 men, unarmed and unequipped; no ammunition.

Company, artillery, Capt. Del. Kemper, 86 men, 4 brass 6-pounders, 35 sabers, 67 rounds fixed ammunition, and 25 loose ball; now here; part leave to-morrow for Manassas.

Company, Powell’s troop of cavalry, in Alexandria, 53 men.

Company, J. Shac Green, troop of cavalry, in Amissville, 61 men; will be at Manassas to-morrow.

Company, M. Dulany Ball, troop of cavalry, equipped; now in Alexandria.

Company, W. H. Payne, troop of cavalry; now in Warrenton, holding public property.

Company, John F. Lay, troop of cavalry; left for Manassas Junction to-day; well equipped with ammunition; several have no uniform or pistols.

Two companies in Charlottesville not yet reported.

PHILIP ST. GEO. COCKE,
Brigadier- General, Commanding.

—————

Assistant Adjutant General David R. Jones

S. H. Devaughan – Co. E, 17th VA Infantry

Morton Marye – Co. A, 17th VA Infantry

A. Herbert – Co. H, 17th VA Infantry

W. H. Dulany – Co. D, 17th VA Infantry

Charles K. Sherman – Co. E, 1st VA Infantry (thanks J. Soffe)

J. Welsh – Co. A, 7th VA Infantry (thanks J. Soffe)

J. Latouche – Alexandria Home Guards (thanks J. Soffe)

J. C. Porter – Co. C, 7th VA Infantry (thanks J. Soffe)

Deleware Kemper – Alexandria Light Artillery

E. B. Powell – Fairfax Cavalry, Radford’s Troop, 30th VA Cavalry

John Shackleford Green – Co. B, 6th VA Cavalry

Mottram Dulany Ball – Border Guards/Fairfax Cavalry. Captured 5/24/61 at Alexandria. Paroled and served as scout for G. T. Beauregard prior to exchange. Exchanged 9/21/1862. Later Lt. Col. of 11th VA Cavalry Reported as captured at Alexandria with his troop on May 28, 1861. (thanks J. Soffe)

William H. Payne – Black Horse Troop, Munford’s Battalion, 30th VA Cavalry

John F. Lay – Powhatan Troop, G. T. Beauregard’s Escort