Year: 1862

JeM Thompson to the Planters tn Aafss4s-


sarzsi.


GENTLEMEE-You are called upon to sus-
tain your reputation as brave Mississippans,
and show the world that the forty thousand
gallant sons of your noble State, who are now
in the field, are fighting for principles which
you indorse, and for which you are wiling to
suffer some little personal Inconvenience.


You are needed, old and young, not to fight,
but to perform the watching and picketing
duty, which your knowledge of the country
peculiarly fits you for, and which will relieve
and rest the soldiers who have this duty to per-
form, and thus give us great advantage over
any equal number of the enemy. The recent
raid through Desoto county should prove the
necessity of this vigilance, and show bow easi-
ly one mar riding as express five miles in ad-
vance of me enemy, could have defeated their
purposes, and any reliable man, with proba-
BILE report of their numbers could have had
them all cut off.


You who belong to the regular minute men
and MALTA, turn out at once, so that theforces
here can have the advantage of your numb
ers AID local knowledge and you who do not
belong, form yourselves into squads around the
different crossroads, so that two of you can be
on the watch ell the time-day and night-one
of whom should come with information of the
approach of the enemy, and the other should
secrete himself until they pass, and then come
around and tell their numbers. By this means
raids and forays can either be prevented or de-
feated, and the parties returned. Only little
mother wit is necessary to teach everybody
how to perform this duty; but it viii be neces-
sary to notify the military commander of the
point watched, and the persons agreeing to
watch it, so he may know when a proper per-
son brings information.


You need not fear making yourself any
more liable to depredations by thus acting for
your all is gone if your soldiers are conquered
| Every foot of ground in Mississippi should be
4 disputed-every stump should form rife rest
and eanebrake camp. You are not like
Missouri, Kentucky and Maryland. No
craven towards have invited the vandals on
| to your soil-no regiments calling themselves
Mississippians are marching with the NORTH
| men-your brothers are not in their ranks.
| They are really and truly invaders, and should
/ be met with resistance in every shape and
manner, and death should meet them at every
step. Let them see that this is your deter
mination. Let them feel that Their advance
will be bloody, and their retreat bootless, and
you will then be safe.


Remove your cotton from the pens and GIN
houses, that it can be speedily burned lit need
not be unbailed, and then if we can fight
and save it we viii, and if we cannot save it,
/ then we can destroy it without your gins,
which we will be compelled to do if we spare
I it long enough to try to save it. If this
request is not complied with, and not only the
people turn out to assist US, but the cotton pre-
pared to be burned, we will have to burn it in
our rear, for fear of having to fall back toe
speedily to attend to it.


Yours respectfully,


BRIG.GEN. Nj. JEFF. THOMPSON,
III. s. s., on special service for


Confederate States.