Headquarters Army of Northern Virginia,
March 26, 1863
Brig. Gen. N. G. Evans,
Commanding Brigade:
General: I have received your letter of the 23d instant, asking that your brigade may be transferred to South Carolina. I cannot tell whether your brigade can be spared from the department in which it is now, nor are there any remarks of the officer commanding it, on your letter, to enlighten me. While the enemy withholds his attack, the troops are, I presume, held at points convenient for concentration at the point they may attempt. Should your troops be needed at Charleston or Savannah, they will no doubt be ordered there at the proper moment. Meantime I had hoped that your proximity to South Carolina had enabled you to fill up your regiments.
I have the honor to be, very respectfully, 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, Volume 25, Part 2, p. 684
Transcribed by Colin Woodward, 2016 September 27
