Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 39.djvu/72

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60 Southern Historical Society Papers.

ville. With these and the 10,000 men & 7 light Batteries I sent to you at Jackson, Missi, about the beginning of May, Bragg would have had about 95,000 men with whom to attack sud- denly and boldly Rosecrans" 65,000 — having crushed them he could have left 30,000 to march on to Nashville & Kentucky — & have sent about 50,000 to take possession of Memphis & Fort Pillow. Keeping up his communications with them by the Memphis R. R., & with Mobile & Jackson, Miss., by the South- ern R'l R'ds to those cities.

The whole of this brilliant campaign, which is only indicated here, could have been terminated by the end of June with the destruction of Rosecrans' Si Grant's Armies, & the conquest of Tennessee & Kentucky.

We could then have taken the offensive in Ohio or Pennsyl- vania as circumstances would have best indicated.

(Signed) G. T. Beauregard. "A True Copy."

A. N. Toutant Beauregard, A. D. C.

Executive Department. Milledgeville, Georgia, Feb'y. loth, 1864. Gen'l Joseph E. Johnston, Gen'l.

By a letter from Maj. Gen'l Walker my attention is again called to the importance of proper provision for your transpoi • tation. I have already advised you of the heavy losses which the State Road has sustained, by the loss and destruction of its rolling stock while on other Roads under the command of Con- federate officers.

You have been so kind as to offer to do all in your power to have part of our Engines and Cars returned to the Road. In this I trust you may succeed. I also hope you will continue to insist that the Cars and Engines belonging to the Tennessee