Summary:
Confederate General Samuel Jones writes Robert E. Lee in April, 1863, regarding movements of troops to Staunton in preparation for General John Imboden's raid into West Virginia.

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Gen. R. E. LEE,
Cmdg., &c., Camp near Fredericksburg, Va.:

Dublin,

April 13, 1863.

GEN.:

I have just now received your letter of the 7th instant. I very much regret that you cannot send the Twenty-fifth and Thirty-first Virginia Regiments to Imboden. The Fiftieth Virginia, which I sent you to take the place of the Twenty-fifth and Thirty-first, under the impression that you would send the latter to Imboden, left here on the 7th, the date of your letter, and must have reached your camp in time to enable you to send the two last-named regiments to Imboden, as the latter does not move until the 15th instant, as I informed you in my letter of the 8th instant. I hope, therefore, that notwithstanding your letter of the 7th instant, the Twenty-fifth and Thirty-first are before this en route to Staunton.

Imboden's force was entirely too small to undertake the expedition, and I have added about 1,400 men to it. I would have sent the Fiftieth Regt. to him also, which would have increased my addition to the force by over 600 men, if I had not supposed you would send the Twenty-fifth and Thirty-first Virginia Regiments.

With great respect, general, your obedient servant,

SAM. JONES,
Maj.-Gen.

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Bibliographic Information : Letter Reproduced from The War of The Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series 1, Volume 25, Serial No. 40, Pages 717-718, Broadfoot Publishing Company, Wilmington, NC, 1997.