Headquarters,
Near Fredericktown, Md., September 8, 1862
His Excellency President Jefferson Davis, Richmond, Va.,:
Mr. President: Since my letter to you of the 7th instant, nothing of interest, in a military point of view, has transpired. As far as I can learn, the enemy are not moving in this direction, but continue to concentrate about Washington. I am endeavoring to break up the line of communication as far back as Culpeper Court-House, and turn everything into the Valley of Virginia, in accordance with the plan which I have heretofore made known to you.
I fear that arms captured on the plains of Manassas, of which some 10,000 or 12,000 were collected at Gainesville, will all be lost, for want of transportation to remove them. I made the best arrangements in my power, being compelled to move the army away, and the wagons that had been ordered to go by Gainesville to take arms back were taken to transport sick and wounded back to Warrenton. I can get no satisfactory account of these arms. The last I heard of them they were still at Gainesville.
So far we have had no difficulty in procuring provisions in the country, though we have not relied exclusively upon them for our subsistence.
I have the honor to be, with high respect, your obedient servant,
R E Lee
General
Source: The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series 1, Vol. 19, Part 2, pp. 600-601
Transcribed by Colin Woodward, 2016 September 5
