Braxton Bragg to RICHMOND, VA., April 23, 1864, April 22, 1864

Richmond, April 22, 1864.

COLONEL: The views expressed in the draft of a message to the Senate, returning with objections the ‘”‘staff bill” of last session, occur to me as sound, and some of them so important as to have precluded the approval of the bill in the shape passed.

Our staff requires great modification and admits of much improvement. Its greatest wants, however, can only be supplied by time, experience in service, and high military education. No increase in rank or number can cure, though it may palliate, the radical defects of our present imperfect organization.

The great error of the bill was in making the staff almost entirely personal—the mere creation of the general. Our present inefficiency is due almost entirely to this cause. A system of favoritism and nepotism has been the natural result, and inefficiency its consequence.

The staff, except the personal aides of the general, should be considered as a component part of the command and remain with it without reference to change of commanders.

The staff corps should be so organized as to allow the assignment by the War Department of the following officers to armies and their component parts, and the President should have power to increase these corps, so as to allow special assignments to detached commands, large geographical departments, and fixed posts:

Army, two or more corps: Chief of staff, with rank of brigadier; assistant adjutant-general, with rank of colonel, and two assistants ; inspector, with rank of colonel, and two assistants; quartermaster, with rank of colonel, and one major; commissary, with rank of lieutenant-colonel, and one captain; medical, with rank of surgeon, with pay of lieutenant-colonel, and one with pay of major; ordnance, with rank of colonel, and one major. Corps: Adjutant-general, lieutenant-colonel, and one major; inspector, lieutenant-colonel, and one major; quartermaster, one lieutenant-colonel; commissary, one major; ordnance, one major; medical, one surgeon. Division: Adjutant-general, one major; inspector, one major; quartermaster, one major; commissary, one captain; ordnance, one captain; medical, one surgeon. Brigade: Adjutant-general, one captain; quartermaster and commissary, one captain; medical, one surgeon.

The following, it seems to me, would be ample for the personal staff of the several grades of general officers: Aides-de-camp, brigadier, one first lieutenant; major-general, one captain; lieutenant-general, one major and one captain; general, one lieutenant-colonel, one major, and one captain, and when commanding one or more armies, one military secretary, with rank of colonel.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

RICHMOND, VA., April 23, 1864.

His Excellency THomas H. Warts,

Governor of Alabama:

My DEaR Sir: Your letter of March 8* was duly received by me,

but an answer has been necessarily delayed by its references for the

* Not found.