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placed under the command of Colonel F. J. Thomas, a former officer of the
United States Army and a Marylander. The report proved to be correct, for, on
May 17, he assumed command of the Maryland troops and issued the following
notification, which bore the indorsement of Colonel T. J. Jackson :

HEADQUARTERS MARYLAND VOLUNTEERS SERVING IN VIRGINIA. May 17, 1861.

Colonel R. 5. Garnett, Adjutant-General.

Colonel—Pursuant to instructions from Colonel Jackson, based upon a letter to me from
Colonel French, aide-de-camp to His Excellency Governor Lctchcr. I have this day assumed
command of the Maryland volunteers in this State. Numbers of the men, and especially a
large number of the most valuable of the officers, have gone to Richmond and other points
in Virginia. As it is very desirable that all the Maryland men should be together, I
respectfully request an order to be issued for them to report here, or at such other point
as the General-in-Chief may designate. I can control about three thousand two hundred
of active and generally well-drilled men from Baltimore and vicinity. Until better arms can
be procured, I shall proceed to arm them with the flint-lock muskets issued to Mr. T.
Parkin Scott, of Baltimore, by Governor Letcher.

Very respect fully, your obedient servant.

F. J. THOMAS. Colonel Commanding.

[INDORSEMENT.]

There art some of the Maryland volunteers who object to serving under Colonel
Thomas, and. in order to secure their services, I would suggest that they be mustered into
the service of the Southern Confederacy, and that none except those who muster into the
service of Virginia he placed under the command of Colonel Thomas

T. J. JACKSON.
Colonel Virginia Volunteers. Commanding at Harper's Ferry.

Immediately after he had assumed command. Colonel Thomas went to
Suffolk with the companies of Captains Clark and Dorsey, that were then in
Richmond, and from Suffolk they marched to Chuckatuck, where they, remained
a short time as the guests of the hospitable people of that place. Their experience
was undoubtedly the most delightful of any that a body of Maryland soldiers had
during the war, and the recollections of it must still dwell in the hearts of the
survivors. Thev saw no enemy on the way to Chuckatuck. but they had a little