James A. Seddon to Robert E. Lee, April 1, 1864

General R. E. LEE, Commanding, &e.:

GENERAL: Your letter of the 29th ultimo has been received.* The draft of the orders proposed to be issued by you has been considered and the orders are approved. The only question is whether, if they should be discovered by the enemy, their attention to the trade we propose to carry on might not be awakened. But the probability is that the trade itself and not the orders will come to their knowledge most readily. It is of importance that no obstruction should be opposed by the pickets to the persons engaged in the trade, and that those concerned should be facilitated and protected as much as possible. The expectation of the Department is to press it to the fullest extent that it may be found practicable. The regulation of the import trade was excluded from the act of Congress purposely. The difficulty of subjecting it to military inspection and regulation has been discovered by experience, and it was thought that any effort to control it by military authority might be productive of mischief. Persons bringing imports can be required to report to the customhouse, and this, perhaps, will be sufficient.

A list of the prohibited articles will be found in the paper inclosed. t In case of the seizure of any articles of the kind, the articles seized should be sent to a receiving officer or to the marshal of the district.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,