Summary:
Virginia Governor John Letcher writes Secretary of War Leroy P. Walker in July,
1861, on the muster of troops into Confederate service. Letcher establishes a
camp of instruction at Staunton at which troops can rendezvous and muster in,
and discusses a controversy between the states and the Confederate government
over the right to appoint new regimental officers.
Hon. L. P. WALKER,
Secretary of War:
July 3, 1861.
SIR:
I received yesterday (through the mail) your letter dated June 30, making a requisition on me for 3,000 men, that being the quota of Virginia in the reserve army corps proposed to be raised to serve for and during the war. My proclamation calling for this force will be issued in the morning, and every proper effort will be made to have the number raised as speedily as practicable. Richmond and Staunton will be designated as the accessible points for the camps of instruction, where the companies will rendezvous and be mustered into service.
I regret that I cannot concur in the principle asserted in the latter part of your communication, that "the President shall organize these companies into battalions or regiments, as he may prefer, and appoint the field officers and the staff." On reference to the Constitution I find that the right of appointing the officers of the militia is reserved "to the States respectively." The question seems to me, therefore, to resolve itself into this: Are the troops called for militia? If so, it seems plain to my mind that the right to officer them is with the State. If not militia, what description of troops are they? Can they be considered regulars? If so, under what authority can the State be called upon to furnish regulars? If the militia are called into service by companies, the States may be deprived of the power to appoint field officers of all grades. If by battalions, then they may be deprived of the power of appointment of all field officers of higher grade than major. Surely it cannot be that the framers of the Constitution contemplated such results. I earnestly, therefore, but at the same time most respectfully, protest against the exercise of this power.
Respectfully,
JOHN LETCHER.
Bibliographic Information : Letter Reproduced from The War of The Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series 4, Volume 1, Serial No. 127, Pages 419-420, Broadfoot Publishing Company, Wilmington, NC, 1997.
