John Bankhead Magruder to Pendleton Murrah, March 31, 1864

Head Qtr’s [sic] District Texas, New Mexico
& Arizona
Houston March 31st 1864

To His Excellency
Governor P. Murrah

Sir:

I have just received
intelligence from Lt Genl Smith, through
Capt. Wolfe who arrived last night from
Shreveport, that the enemy has five thou-
sand Cavalry—that he has captured the
only Cavalry force he had in Louisiana,
and that Lt Genl Smith entertains great
fear of a raid upon Marshall, and the
destruction of our Manufactories and Supplies
there, as well as the devastation of that region
of Country. Capt. Wolfe estimates the
strength of the enemy’s Infantry to be 40-
000 exclusive of Steele’s Army in Arkansas
which is supposed to be 20,000.

[With] Farragut having withdrawn from
Mobile, we may now expect him with his addi-
tional fleet on our coast in a few days.
A serious attack will doubtless be made
on Galveston, Sabine Pass etc. I have neither
the State Troops, that were promised, nor the
conscripts which we are entitled to. A