Summary:
Confederate General John C. Breckinridge writes Adjutant General Samuel Cooper concerning troop movements in western Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley during May, 1864. Breckinridge seeks to avoid leaving Staunton vulnerable to attack.

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Gen. S. COOPER:

MOUNT CRAWFORD,

May 14, 1864

Dispatch just received. Last night dispatch from Salem represented enemy moving from Christiansburg toward Pearisburg, Giles County, and not advancing toward Lynchburg. I expected to meet enemy in this valley to-day or to-morrow. Further division of my small force might endanger both Staunton and Lynchburg. My orders from Gen. Lee give me discretion. Telegraph me last news from Lynchburg and beyond. I will wait two or three hours this morning to hear from you and from present front.

JOHN C. BRECKINRIDGE,
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 37, Serial No. 70, Pages 734-735, Broadfoot Publishing Company, Wilmington, NC, 1997.