George H. Giddings to Pendleton Murrah, October 21, 1864

Austin Oct 21, 1864

To His Excellency Gov Murrah

Gov

I have been informed that
Col John L. Ford at present
comdg Expy Forces on our Rio
Grande frontier is about to [be] removed
from his comd and the troops
raised by him assigned to other
comds or some need[.] [This] News [was]
sent down to comd at Brownsville[.]
It is claimed by some of our
Military Men that Col Ford is
not a commissioned officer
in the Confederate Service[.] It
is well known to your Excellency
to [sic] [the] efficient service he has rendered
the confederacy& especially our
state in the recent campaigne [sic] [,]
also that the troops raised by
him for that campaigne [sic][.] [A]n[d]
many of them [were] not liable to
military duty and would not
have been raised by any other
man or for any other service[.]
[T]hey are all mustered into the
confederate service for the war
and compose two Battallions [sic]
which could easily be filled
to Regiments[.] I would suggest
that the two Battallions [sic] be consolidated
and form one good Regt and
Col Ford appointed the Col
of the Regt[.] [T]his can easily be