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Nashville Executive Office June 8th 1846 Honl Wm [Honorable William] L. Marcy
Sec [Secretary] of War
On the 4. 5 & 6th Inst [Instant] 12 companies of Infantry embarked from this place for N [New]. Orleans under your requisition of the 16th ult [ultimo]. They were from Middle Tennessee & being all here together & uncertain, whether they would unite (any portion of them) with any other troops of the States, they were organized into one Regiment & officered accordingly. I provisioned them with ten days rations & chartered Steam Boats for their Transportation to N. Orleans, ordering the Col [Colonel] to report himself & Regiment to Genl [General]. Gaines for further orders & the means of transportation to the Seat of War. 4 companies Infantry will be off in like manner from Memphis in a few days if not already gone, organized into a Battallion [Battalion] Four companies from E [East]. Tennessee formed also into a Battalion are descending the Tennessee River & will be at Memphis in the course of about 2 weeks or a little more, where they will be dispatched after the others & so soon as they overtake them the Battallions [Battalions] will be formed into a Regiment & their organization completed. This has all been done under my order no. 2 which I forwarded to you. The cavalry companies will be at Memphis by the 15th Inst. except three from E. Tennessee which will be there in a few days after There to await the orders of Genl [General] Wool
you will perceive that
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to make this prompt movement, that I found it necessary as directed by you in your letter of the 16th to appoint an Inspector to muster them into the service, there being no United States officer here for the purpose. I have no doubt the duty has been well done & the companies selected very fine ones, both infantry & cavalry__ The East Tennessee infantry & the cavalry every where I concluded to muster into service near their homes instead of waiting until the general Rendezvous at Memphis The latter place is 4 or 500 miles from the homes of many of them & such as could not pass muster would be often in a deplorable condition at that distance often without the means of return. Besides this, it would often happen that volunteers could not have money enough of their own to defray their expenses that distance when mustered into service the State could make advances under the head of Transportation & provisioning, which the U [United]. States could refund. For these & other reasons not necessary now to be mentioned. I made arrangements to muster the troops into the service before leaving their respective grand divisions of the state & if you have any doubts about the propriety of my having done so, a little conversation with the President in relation to our geographical & Civil Divisions will remove them I desire earnestly that you will give direction to the genl in command to permit the 2 Battallions to be united into a Regiment & complete their organization very respectfully
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Your obt. Servt [obedient Servant].
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copy of [unclear: Letter to Sec of War informing him of the departure of the troops & regarding the completion of the 2 regiment ] [added: 1846]
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