1861 August 21 Camp Shady Spring

Maj. gen Robert. E. Lee
Commanding in Chief
Sir
Having
been assigned to special service by Genl
H. A. Wise to direct the operations of a Body
of Militia partly from my own Brigade
& partly from Genl Chapmans with Caskies
troop Rangers in the loop of New River
embracing all of Raleigh County & part
of Fayette County. I have formed a
camp of instruction at this place 9
miles south of Raleigh C.H and have
now a force of about 250 men from Fayette
& Raleigh Counties besides Caskies Rangers
numbering 41. While awaiting reinforce-
=mets from Monroe Giles & Mercer Coun-
=ties in Genl Chapman's Brigade,
understanding there were four comp=

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=anies of Volunteers newly organized
and officered in the County of Mercer
in the vicinity of Princeton viz Two
companies of Cavalry & under Capt
Napoleon B. French & Wm Henderson French
& two companies of Infantry under Capt
John Peck and John Dunlap I repaird
these with Dr Stites my acting surgeon
for the purpose of mustering them into
my 35 Regiment and consolidating &
preparing them for the field in my camp
of Instruction without delay. These Capts
refused to be mustered mustered into
service and the militia of Mercer having
been called out by Genl Chapman's order
at the same time they & their men
refused to march with the militia
disobeying the order of the colonel of the
militia Regiment to that effect I am
also informed that there is a company
of Infantry fully organized under Capt
Wm. P. Cecil and two more companies
now forming in the county of Tazewell

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and one forming in Giles county.

General I ask
that you will send me explicit and
positive orders for these several companies
to repair without delay to my camp of
Instruction, and be mustered into service.

These companies are without good
drill masters and will require a
good deal of attention to fit them for the
field even with the advantages & facilities
of a Camp of instruction and the public
service in my opinion demands that
these companies be promptly mustered in
the service.

As Soon as I am reinforced by
the militia from Monroe, Giles & Mercer
counties which by a dispatch from Genl
Chapman will take place in few days
I will advance toward Fayette C.H.
& Cotton Hill scouting, watching
closely & harrassing the Enemy & coopera
=ting as far as the nature of my force
will admit with Genls Floyd & Wise

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Very respe[c]tfully, General
Your obdt Servt
Alfred Beckley
Brig Genl & Col. 35th Reg Vols

Alfred Beckley, 1802-1888. Five days after writing this plea to Lee Beckley assisted Genl. John B. Floyd in his victory over Union General Colonel Erastus B. Tyler at Cross Lanes, Nicholas County [West] Virginia

original letter tipped into "Four Years with General Lee" by Walter H. Taylor