Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Chapter XXII: Operations in Kentucky, Tennessee, North Mississippi, North Alabama, and Southwest Virginia. March 4-June 10, 1862., Part II: Correspondence, Orders, and Returns.
Lieut. Col. Robert N. Scott, Ed.

From Tazewell County I raised in like manner two companies, making together 200 men; from Carroll, one company of 100 men; from Grayson, one company of 100 men; from Scott, 200 men, or about that number. I demanded 300 from Wythe, 250 from Washington, 250 from Smyth, 200 from Lee, 100 from Buchanan and McDowell, and 50 from Wise.

I sent Inspector-General Stansifer and Colonel Moore to Wythe, as that is Colonel Moore's home. I sent Col. H. S. Bowen to Buchanan. The other counties remain yet to be visited.

My agents did not succeed very well. The colonel only succeeded in obtaining 45 volunteers in Wythe, but he will succeed by my assistance in having the Twenty-ninth Virginia entirely filled.

I propose then to renew from the Pound Gap battalion the enlistments for the war or three years of all who desire to change from special to general service, then to add my new companies to the battalion as thus reorganized, until it is expanded into a regiment. If I can be seconded by you in doing bare justice to this section and this command this can be effected with facility, and I shall have a new Virginia regiment vamped upon old material engaged for the war.

In selecting an officer to command it I recommend Lieut. Col. William Leigh (now of Moore's regiment), as a good man to be at the head of a regiment. He is precise and strict, brave, urbane, intelligent well instructed, of good habits, and will do well in the position, and deserves the place. The only reason to the contrary is his loss from the other regiment.

I found that General Floyd's recruiting officers had been all over this section, not only recruiting for his brigade existing, but raising a new regiment for it, to be composed of new materials. They had several companies already formed, and to my face, in the presence of the people, insisted they had the right to raise the recruits march them away from the militia and from me, in open violation of my orders to the contrary. Thus in the county of Smyth I found that recruiting officers had already raised 230 volunteers since Smyth was placed under my command.

Now, from these, recruiting officers had taken 221, and in Floyd's brigade they had hired as wagoners 14; so that I only found 254 militia in Smyth County.

Adhering to my apportionment, I demanded and raised 20 volunteers for the war, and reorganized the remaining 220 men into two militia companies.

My object now is to be informed by the head of the army if the men so abstracted from my command proper shall not be returned to me in specie or equivalents. If not, then I should draft the whole remaining population of Smyth to arrange my command, she contributing her proportion.

Only 20 men in Smyth failed to enroll in the militia. The major commanding the militia made return to me of 89 men who had volunteered