Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 1.
Frank Moore, Ed.

I made an excursion yesterday around the semicircle of the bay which girds Fort Pickens, with a view of inspecting the batteries and encampments of General Bragg's army. This semicircle commences at the Navy Yard and terminates at the Water Battery beyond McRae. At short intervals for two miles and a half there is an uninterrupted line of batteries along this semicircle. More are being erected daily by the zealous and active volunteers. It is amazing the quantity of work they do, and the rapidity with which they are drilled into good artillerists. The army is divided as follows: the extreme right of Bragg's position, including Fort McRae, is held by the Mississippians, whose encampment I visited yesterday. Col. Chalmers commands this division of the line. We found the Colonel in his marquee, over head and ears in the business of his command. He is a young but very active, intelligent, and zealous officer, and is rapidly reducing his wild, fearless, and sagacious warriors into good discipline. The eagerness of the Mississippi boys for a fight renders camp duty rather wearisome to them, but Col. Chalmers is determined to profit by the example of Jeff. Davis, who made the Mississippians in Mexico as efficient and well-disciplined as they were brave and impetuous, by the strictness of his discipline. The Mississippians, the two regiments of Col. Chalmers and Col. Phillips, are encamped in a very pretty location in the pine woods, within a quarter of a mile of the bay, and with a fine stream of fresh water flowing through the camp. Their encampment presents a very picturesque aspect, and was quite en regle in all its arrangements. Col. Chalmers's report for the day, of the two regiments, showed 1,628 men ready for duty. Four of the companies of Col. Phillips, the Second or Southern Regiment, were stationed in Fort McRae, under Capt. Joe Davis, of Canton, nephew of the President, a very intelligent and gallant officer. Besides these there are three independent Mississippi artillery companies, which are placed in charge of batteries. They are Capt. Carr's Jackson Artillery, 63; Capt. Lovell's Quitman Artillery, of Natchez, 75; Capt. Tull's Vicksburg Artillery company, 60; making in all 1,826 Mississippians who are enrolled in this army!

Next to the Mississippians are the Alabamians, [188] who have two regiments encamped on the left of the Mississippians. They are divided into a regiment commanded by Col. Clayton, of 10 companies--800 men; and a battalion of 8 companies--600 men — under Lieut.-Col. Steadman. Several of the Alabama companies are assigned to batteries; one of them, under Lieut. Howard, having charge of the two 10-inch gun battery. The Alabamians are much cut up in their encampments and occupy a large space in the line. On their left are the Georgia Regiment, Col. Ramsey, 10 companies--750 men. This regiment, with the Alabama Regiment, and Capt. Girardey's artillery company in charge of the redoubt in the rear of Fort Barrancas, and battalion 63, make up the second division, commanded by Col. Clayton. The extreme left, extending from the Hospital to a point beyond the Navy Yard, is the division which Col. Gladden commands, and consists of the Florida Regiment, Col. Anderson, 620; of Major Lary's Georgia Battalion, 350; of Capt. Lee's artillery company, 114--composed entirely of artisans and mechanics; and of 1st Battalion of the Louisiana Regiment, 520, Col. Adams; the Zouaves, 505, Lieut.-Col. Coppens; and the Marines, 109.

The army of Gen. Bragg may, therefore, be thus stated accurately:

Brigadier-General Commanding, Braxton Bragg; Inspector-General, J. H. Forney; Chief of Engineers, W. H. Stevens; Chief of Ordnance, W. R. Boggs; Adjutant-General, R. C. Wood; Aids, George D. Garner, Thomas Ellis; Surgeon-General, A. J. Foard; Quartermaster, L. A. O'Bannon; Chief of Subsistence, T. W. Jones.

First division--Col. J. R. Chalmiers.
1st Mississippi Regiment, Col. Chalmers,	787
2d Mississippi Regiment, Col. Phillips,	841
Quitman Artillery, Capt. Lovell,	75
Vicksburg Artillery, Capt. Tull,	60
Judson Artillery, Capt. Carr,	63
	1,826
Second division--Col. Clayton.
1st Alabama Regiment, Col. Clayton,	800
2d Alabama Battalion, Lieut.-Col. Steadman,	600
1st Georgia Regiment, Col. Ramsey,	760
	2,160
Third division--Col. Gladden.
One regiment Louisiana Infantry-two battalions.
1st Battalion, Lieut. Col. Adams, (regulars,) 6 companies,	620
Battalion of Zouaves, Lieut.-Col.Coppens.	505
Georgia Battalion, Major Lary,	350
1st Florida Regiment, Col. Anderson,	615
Ind. Artillery Company of Savannah, Capt. Lee,	114
	2,194
troops at Pensacola under Major Bradford.
2d Battalion of First Louisiana Regiment:
Louisiana Guards, Capt. Todd,	103
Crescent Rifles, Capt. Fisk,	92
Shreveport Greys, Capt. Beard,	138
Grivot Guards, Capt. Rightor,	92
Orleans Cadets, Capt. Dreux, (detached),	103
	528
Total number of troops,	6,708

Though some of the regiments are quite deficient in the drill, I do not believe that a better and more efficient body of fighting men could be assembled in any part of the world. They compose the very best class of our Southern people, ardent, earnest, and resolute young men. They can never be conquered, or even defeated; they may be destroyed and annihilated; but when the Lincolnites subdue the country or the people which he has undertaken to subjugate, as long as we have such men to fight our battles, the spoils of his victory will be a blasted and desolated country and an extinct people.