Benjamin apologized for his delay in answering Davis' letters. A severe accident had left him incapacitated for the past eight months. The pain was so intense that he was unable to sleep "without the aid of powerful narcotics," but he was now recovering. In reference to Davis' queries regarding General Joseph E. Johnston, Benjamin did not remember being at the Greensborough meeting. He gave his recollections of the meeting in 1862 March concerning Johnston's retreat. He closed with regards to Mrs. Davis. [Not in Rowland, Jefferson Davis, His Letters...]