Gen. Lafayette McLaws had his division headquarters at Orange Court House, south of the Rapidan River.
There he wrote his wife, Emily, on August 12, 1863, that he had camped in the yard and on the premises of a farmer named Mason.
“My Brigades are camped all around the farm,” he wrote, “and my pickets cover the whole country for miles.”
Meanwhile, General Lee “will not give any leaves of absence to any one under any pretence, not even for three days.”
13TH MISSISSIPPI INFANTRY REGIMENT 
Hello Dick. This is a very compelling site you have established. I am descended from 2 officers of the 13th Miss infantry, one of whom commanded Co. A at the age of 18 until his capture at Sayler’s Creek at the age of 21. He is listed as commanding the regiment on several orders of battle for small engagements late in the war and I have a copy of correspondences between him and Gen. Longstreet’s staff after the battle of Cedar Creek in which he is authorized as 2nd in command of the regiment to forage for a horse. Needless to say I am very intrigued by this young man and wonder if you have any information about him. I have Mr. Mclean’s book. Thanks for any information you may have. Winston Cameron
Thanks for the comment. Neither McLean nor Grady Howell lists a Cameron of any rank at any time in Co. A, also known as the Winston Guards. But I’m assuming that’s the surname, Cameron, since you didn’t give one. What is the full name of the lieutenant?
Co. A became Co. E (Alamutcha Rifles) in 1862 and I should have mentioned this. You will find them both there, Captain Hugh Cameron and Lieutenant John Cameron. I apologize for my earlier disorganized inquiry.
Okay, thanks. Grady Howell has for the “Alamutcha Infantry” a Hugh D. Cameron, pvt., O.S., 1st Sgt, 2nd Lieut., Capt.; and a John A. Cameron, pvt., 3rd Sgt, 3rd, 1st Lieut. Howell doesn’t list the command at the time of Saylor’s Creek. He only says that in the final returns (presumably meaning Appomattox) the 13th was commanded by Lieut. W. H. Davis.
That’s all I know. I’m sure McLean has more.
You confused me because I never worry about the A to E or D to I business from the reorganization in 1862, except when doing research. I just go with the name the companies chose for themselves, which makes everything simpler. Howell goes with the last alphabetic. So does McLean.
Thanks for your response. I’m hoping to someday stumble across some additional trove of information.
BTW, occurs to me I’d love to have a scanned copy of the correspondence you mention between your ancestor and Longstreet’s staff. If you email me a scanned copy, I’ll post it where others can see it too.
Hello Dick. I will try to send you a scanned copy of their correspondence. I also have an actual letter from Captain Hugh Cameron to an officer in Mobile ordering the return of a 13th MS soldier to VA to answer for some sort of military offense, postmarked from Winchester, VA, which is where we live, which a benevolent providence somehow allowed me to find out of the blue in an antiquarian bookstore in Georgetown. I’ll see if I can scan this also.