Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 5.djvu/106



N the 29th of August, General Beauregard, who had been in command of the army in Mississippi, was ordered to take charge in South Carolina. General Pemberton was directed to report for duty at Richmond. His policy of abandoning the attempt to defend the mouth of Broad river and the harbor of Georgetown, and especially his removal of the guns from the mouth of the Stono, had made him unpopular; but his energy, ability and patriotism commanded the respect of the military, and the government at Richmond reposed in him the highest confidence. Upon taking the command at Charleston in September, General Beauregard made a careful inspection of the department, and writing to Richmond, expressed his admiration for the amount and character of defensive work which General Pemberton had done, especially in the defense of Charleston.

Having requested General Pemberton to give his views upon the situation, and particularly as to the forces, guns, etc., necessary to the proper defense of the cities of Charleston and Savannah and their dependencies, General Beauregard received the following reply from Pemberton, dated September 24, 1862:

I have the honor to state in answer to your inquiry, that in my opinion this department can be successfully defended against any reasonable force which it is prob-