Summary:
General Robert E. Lee writes Secretary of War James Seddon in March, 1864, to
recommend, for the purpose of Valley defense, the organization into regiments of
the minutemen of the counties bordering the Allegheny Mountains. Lee suggests
that Staunton serve as headquarters for Augusta and Bath counties.
Hon. JAMES A. SEDDON,
Secretary of War, Richmond,
Va.:
March 9, 1864.
SIR:
I beg leave to call your attention to the importance of a speedy organization of the minutemen in the counties bordering on the Allegheny Ridge, for the protection of the agricultural and mining interests of that valuable region. Gen. Imboden has sent me a plan of apportionment of these counties for the formation of regiments, which I approve. He thinks that five regiments from Page, Shenandoah, Hardy, and such portions of the counties lower down as we can control, with its rendezvous at Woodstock; a second regiment from Rockingham, Pendleton, and Highland, with its rendezvous at Harrisonburg; the third from Augusta and Bath, with headquarters at Staunton; the fourth from Rockbridge and Allegheny, rendezvous at Lexington or some more convenient point; the fifth from Botetourt, Roanoke, and Craig, with headquarters at Salem, Buchanan, or Fincastle, or such point as may be selected. These regiments, organized under good commands, with proper rendezvous to be assigned for the different battalions in case of alarm, with a good system of signaling, ought to be able to protect the valley and punish severely raiding parties of the enemy. I would suggest that the Conscript Bureau send active and efficient officers into the counties aforesaid in order to perfect the organization of these regiments as speedily as practicable.
I am, with great respect, your obedient servant,
R. E. LEE,
Gen.
Bibliographic Information : Letter Reproduced from The War of The Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series 1, Volume 33, Serial No. 60, Pages 1212, Broadfoot Publishing Company, Wilmington, NC, 1997.
