To RH Milroy From Gen IH Duval June 23 1863

              Coal Mouth, VA. 

June 23, 1863 


Dear Genl. 

		I am exceedingly anxious to get  
my regiment back to your command for several reasons. 
I have seven hundred good fighting well drilled &  
disciplined men and I feel that old troop such  
as mine who have already done good service and  
who are used to making long and hard marches  
in during great suffering and privations necessary  
to accomplish desperate deeds should not in  
this hour of great need be kept laying idle at  
a post where there is no danger or need of them  
and if it really necessary to keep troops at  
this point why not station a regiment of the  
militia now being raised by this state at this point  
such places as this and let the old troops take  
the field where they are now needed one  
company of men would in my opinion be suf- 
ficient to hold this place and as there is alre- 
ady the Colonel of that regiment stationed at  
Hurricane Bridge 12 miles from there or the main  
road leading from Charleston to Guyandon VA and  
17 miles from Hurricane Bridge the 5th Regiment of  
VA. Vol. is also stationed on the same road, 
25 miles further Genl. White with a considerable force  
is stationed this point is 12 miles below Charleston, VA  
and on the road leading to Guyandon I mentioned the  
facts simply to show that there certainly is no necessity  
for keeping a regiment of old troops at this point  
when they could be better employed I am satisfied  
that there will not be any fighting in this section