Report of General G.T. Beauregard,
commanding Confederate Forces,
Department of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida
HDQRS. DEPT. OF S. CAROLINA, GEORGIA, AND FLORIDA,
Charleston, S.C., February 21, 1864.
Respectfully forwarded, for the information of the War Department.
All available troops have been dispatched from Georgia, Middle Florida, and
South Carolina to the assistance of Brigadier-General Finegan, in view of the
importance of the resources of that section and of the apparent opportunity of
striking the enemy an effective blow. There will soon be concentrated there
about 8,000 men of all arms of the service, including at least 1,800
cavalry. Brigadier-General Taliaferro has been sent to assume command for
the present and organize the troops into three brigades of infantry, with the
cavalry and infantry embodied, respectively, under proper officers.
Brigadier-General Gardner, I have just learned by telegraph, has repaired to
Lake City from Middle Florida, and I have directed him to assume command
until the arrival of Brigadier-General Taliaferro, who has my verbal and
written instructions as to line of operations. Had I been confident of
Brigadier-General Gardner's physical ability for the field (an active
command), as I have great confidence in his soldierly qualities, I should
have ordered him to the spot at once, but he had but recently been in
Augusta for a surgical operation, and I feared he was unequal physically to
the place.
I shall in a few days hasten to the scene, and hope to be able to take the
offensive at once. A rigid investigation shall be made into the
circumstances under which the command of Lieutenant-Colonel McCormick was
surprised and dispersed
and their guns captured.
G. T. BEAUREGARD,
General, Commanding.
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