Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 24.djvu/210

 Confederate States Regulars Seven regiments of infantry; six regiments of cavalry, and one battery of artillery.

Aggregate 529 regiments and eighty-five battalions of infantry; 127 regiments and forty-seven battalions of cavalry; eight regiments and one battalion of partisan rangers; five regiments and six battal- ions of heavy artillery, and 261 batteries of light artillery in all, equivalent to 764 regiments of ten companies each.

Colonel Fox says: " The severity of the losses among the Con- federates,, and the heroic persistency with which they would stand before the enemies musketry, becomes apparent in studying the offi- cial returns of various regiments. In the report for 1865-66, made by General James B. Fry, United States Provost-Marshal-General, there is a statement of Confederate losses, as compiled from the mus- ter-rolls on file in the Bureau of Confederate Archives. The returns are incomplete, and nearly all the Alabama rolls are missing; still, the figures are worth noting, as they show that at least 74,524 were killed or died of wounds, and that 52,297 died of disease.

[From the Richmond Tunes July 16, 1896.]

CAPSTON'S SPECIAL MISSION.

Letter of The Secretary of State Defining His Duties.

TO CUT OFF THE RECRUIT SUPPLY.

Caution is Given That Though Secrecy Must Be maintained, if Pos- sible, Everything Must be Carried Out in an Honorable Way.

The letter published below is self-explanatory, and is a copy from the original letter, which belongs to Mr. S. L. Kelly, of this city, who was administrator for Lieutenant Capston's estate, and found the document among the papers of the deceased when a settlement was made:

DEPARTMENT OF STATE,

RICHMOND, July 3, 1863.

SIR, You have in accordance with your proposal made to this department, been detailed by the Secretary of War for special ser- vice under my orders