Alfred Roman, The military operations of General Beauregard in the war between the states, 1861 to 1865

On the 30th of November, in response to his telegram of the 24th, General Beauregard received the following letter from President Davis:

Richmond, Nov. 30th, 1864.
General Beauregard, care of Colonel Win. Brown:

Yours of the 24th received. It is probable that the enemy, if short of supplies, may move directly for the coast. When that is made manifest you will be able to concentrate your forces upon the one object, and I hope, if you cannot defeat his attempt, that you may reduce his army to such condition as to be ineffective for further operations. Until Hood reaches the country proper of the enemy he can scarcely change the plans for Sherman's or Grant's campaigns. They would, I think, regard the occupation of Tennessee and Kentucky as of minor importance.

Jefferson Davis.

This letter reached General Beauregard on or about the 4th of December, on his way from Macon to Augusta, where He arrived on the 6th of December, at 6 P. M., after an uninterrupted and fatiguing journey, from Montgomery, Macon, Milledgeville, Sparta, and Mayfield. He had thus retraced his steps and abandoned his intention of visiting Mobile, then seriously threatened, because of the reception, on December 2d, of a despatch from Richmond extending his Department to the Atlantic coast.

It will be seen by the foregoing communication from the President that, far from disapproving General Hood's tardy and persistent effort to march into Tennessee and Kentucky, he was of opinion that nothing effective could be accomplished ‘until Hood reaches the country proper of the enemy.’ Does this indicate opposition to the plan adopted? On the contrary: Let Hood go on, let him reach, as soon as he can, ‘the country proper of the ’