February 9, 1864, Bonham, Tex.,
Brigadier General H. E. McCulloch to Brigadier General H. P. Bee

HEADQUARTERS NORTHERN SUB-DISTRICT,
Bonham, Tex., February 9, 1864,

 Brig. Gen. H. P. BEE,
Commanding Division on Coast:

GENERAL: Captain Quantrill has been ordered to the coast and will send report to General Magruder. His company could not have been moved to that point if I had not promised to use my influence to keep them in the independent partisan service to which he is entitled by his commission from the President. I have written to General Magruder and asked him to continue them in that service on the coast, and have advised Quantrill to ask for service west of Corpus Christi, where I think he will do us great good.

There is no doubt about their being true Southern men, and, no odds what happens, will fight only on our side. They have been bad behaved in some instances, but have not been guilty of a fourth of what has been charged against them. They are in a country filled with the very worst character of men, numbers of whom are hid in the brush and come out at night and rob and steal; and there are plenty of enemies to the country who would have been glad to get up a conflict by telling bad tales upon them besides those that were true, and I really think the people are to a great extent unnecessarily uneasy about them. If these men are not kept on partisan service they will disband and scatter through the country, where, if bad men, they will do us great harm; if kept together under Quantrill they can be controlled, and if they do not act properly, then disarm and put the last man of them to work on fortifications. I would not hesitate to send them where I advise General Magruder to send them, and believe it is the very best thing that can be done with them, and now write to ask you to use your influence with General Magruder to that end, and to take hold of them yourself and use them for our country's best interest. They are superbly armed and well mounted, and there is no reason that they should not do good service. They have not been paid for months; this should be done immediately and let them see that they are to be treated properly and required to behave so themselves.

Yours, truly,

 H. E. McCULLOCH,

Brigadier-General, Commanding Northern Sub-District.

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