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Since
"Colonel" Garnett was not in the Confederate military,
there is no biography of him in the National Archives service
records. Below is my biography of the man
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Photo from Tennessee State
Library & Archives
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The date of the photograph
is unknown, but appears to be about 1880. It was taken in Norfolk. |
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Charles Fenton Mercer Garnett was
born October 7, 1810 in Essex County, Virginia. He was the Chief
Engineer for the construction of the Raleigh & Gaston RR,
selecting and laying out the route, then supervising the
construction from 1836 until completion. He was
Superintendent for a year or so. On February 7, 1842 he took over
the Chief Engineer's position on the Western & Atlantic RR. He
selected the location for the depot for the southern terminal and
then selected the name Marthasville for what eventually became
Atlanta. 1848 and 1849 found Garnett the Chief Engineer of the
Nashville & Chattanooga RR. In 1850, he was Chief Engineer of the
Virginia & Tennessee RR when, on April 29th, he was selected
Chief Engineer for the Memphis & Charleston RR. He conducted a
preliminary reconnaissance of the route and announced it at a
meeting in Tuscumbia, Alabama. From 1856 through 1859, he was the
Chief Engineer of the Dom Pedro II RR, the first railroad in Brazil.
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Garnett was 51 when the War
started. He was living with the family of a probable brother,
Theodore L., a farmer north of Richmond, in
Hanover County. Charles was worth $18,000 in real estate and $45,000
in personal estate (probably shares of stock in the railroads he had
constructed). His
railroad experience was called on when it became necessary for
someone to determine which railroad iron should be removed from some
roads and given to more important roads. He was made a member of the
Commission to Collect and Distribute Iron (in the Engineer Bureau) and shortly became its
main member, since he was the only one who did not have another job
in the Army. In 1863, his office in Richmond was located at the
corner of Bank and 10th Streets, on the 3rd floor.
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In 1844, Garnett was a lay
delegate to the Episcopal Church General Convention, in
Philadelphia. He never married and died March 6, 1886 in
Norfolk, Virginia.
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A George W. Garnett, also from
Virginia and with an extensive business background in New York, was
appointed to a position in the Treasury Department. I assume this is
a brother of Charles.
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| April 17, 1862 |
Wrote regarding
effect of impressment of slaves between Richmond and Fredericksburg
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| April 19, 1862 |
Recommended an
engineer for an Engineer Corps position
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| May 30, 1863 |
Allowed government to
haul away cord wood from his property to the Richmond,
Fredericksburg & Potomac RR
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| June 2, 1863 |
Secretary of War
was requested to allow the removal of the Roanoke Valley RR rails
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| Grazed horses on his
property
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| June 4, 1863 |
Appointed to
Commission to determine which railroad's iron could be taken for the
benefit of more important railroads. Capt. George E. Walker,
Engineer Corps, was the other member of the Commission
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| June 8, 1863 |
Removed the rails of
the Roanoke Valley RR
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| June 9, 1863 |
East Tennessee & Virginia RR requested
iron; referred to Iron Commission
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| June 10, 1863 |
Given additional
duties as Iron Commissioner
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| June 11, 1863 |
Commissioners requested authority to replace
taken rail with replacement new iron plus seven percent per year.
Forwarded to Secretary of War
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| June 13, 1863 |
South Side RR wanted to remove the
Petersburg to City Point rail to use in maintaining their main line;
Commission to investigate
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| Commissioners recommend Virginia &
Tennessee RR be given 25 tons pig iron
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| Port Walthall iron
removal to be reviewed
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| Recommended removing
the iron of the Tennessee & Alabama RR and it was approved
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| June 16, 1863 |
Gilmer approved plan
to use iron removed in the state where removed, when possible
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| June 17, 1863 |
Recommended an agent
be sent to save RR materials uncovered by Lee's movements
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| June 18, 1863 |
Commissioners directed to work with the
Richmond & Danville RR to remove some just-removed Seaboard
& Roanoke RR iron
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| June 19, 1863 |
Received State of
Virginia appraisal of RR iron
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| June 20, 1863 |
Received response from Secretary of War
and Secretary of Navy regarding removal of Atlantic, Tennessee &
Ohio RR iron
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| June 22, 1863 |
Removing iron from Fredericksburg to
Acquia Creek
| NA,
ENG 6-22A-63 |
| NA,
ENG 6-23A-63 |
| NA,
ENG 7-16B-63 |
| NA,
ENG 7-17B-63 |
| NA,
ENG 7-17D-63 |
| NA,
ENG 7-18B-63 |
| NA,
ENG 7-18E-63 |
| NA,
ENG 7-20B-63 |
| NA,
ENG 9-10-63 |
| NA,
ENG 10-6-63 |
| NA,
ENG 10-12-63 |
| NA,
ENG 10-27-63 |
| NA,
ENG 10-29-63
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| NA,
ENG 11-14A-63
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| NA,
RF&P 11-25-63
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| June
24, 1863 |
Recommendations
regarding taking iron from Fredericksburg north
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| Recommendations
regarding repairing the South Side RR
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| June 26, 1863 |
Removing Roanoke Valley RR iron
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| July 1, 1863 |
Ordered to save new rails and have only
old ones rolled for gunboat armor
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| July 6, 1863 |
Noted that
Commissioners were corresponding with Capt. Lee, Eng. about
collecting RR material near Winchester
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| July 7, 1863 |
Purchased furniture
for office
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| July 10, 1863 |
Gave Seaboard &
Roanoke RR a certificate for $110,000 worth of RR iron
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| July 11, 1863 |
Paid Richmond &
York River RR for use of flats for removing iron
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| July 14, 1863 |
Paid for office sign
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| July 16,
1863 |
Forwarded a letter
from D. H. Kenney to the Engineer Bureau (Engineer Bureau Letters
Received) |
| Asked for
instructions as Dr. Smith objects to the method of valuing the iron
taken from the Roanoke Valley RR (Engineer Bureau Letters Received) |
| July 18, 1863 |
Ordered to buy or impress the iron of the
Mississippi, Gainesville & Tuscaloosa RR
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| Investigate request for rails for a Selma
spur
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| July 21, 1863 |
Rails can be provided to build a spur on
the Alabama & Tennessee River RR
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| Proposed plan for
paying for Iron Commission expenses
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| Told by Sims to have
the "Florida road" iron taken up and given to Pollard
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| July 24, 1863 |
Requested funds to
pay expenses of operations near Fredericksburg, Va. (Engineer Bureau
Letters Received) |
| Paid support worker
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| July 25, 1863 |
Made recommendation
regarding connection between Georgia and Florida railroads
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| July 27, 1863 |
Was reported to be
Fredericksburg
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| July 31, 1863 |
Requested that the costs for removing rails
be paid by the nearest post Quartermaster
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| August 1, 1863 |
Salvaging locomotive and wheels from Allen
Plantation RR
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| August 3, 1863 |
Informed Engineer
Bureau that remaining Alabama & Florida (of Florida) RR can be
removed
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| August 4, 1863 |
Proposed payment from
RR companies for iron received
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| August 10, 1863 |
Received letter to
President of Roanoke Valley RR relative to retaining their iron and
completing their extension to Reynolds
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| August 11, 1863 |
Iron removal in
Alabama and Mississippi
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| August 15, 1863 |
Paid for retrieving
an engine from Allen's Plantation
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| August 24, 1863 |
Paid to have Iron
Commission documents copied
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| August
27, 1863 |
Directed to get
locomotive and flats for Piedmont RR from Sims
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| Reported to have
recently met with President of Alabama & Florida (of Florida) RR
in Richmond
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| August 29, 1863 |
Ordered to expedite the iron for the
Piedmont RR
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| President South Side
RR told to work with him to make effective use of old iron
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| Employed expert for
arbitration of impressed iron of the Roanoke Valley RR
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| September 3, 1863 |
Gave opinion
regarding iron for the Blue Mountain RR
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| September 4, 1863 |
Referring
possibility of furnishing iron for the Blue Mountain RR
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| September 7, 1863 |
Saving iron and rolling stock from the
other side of the Pearl River (north of Montgomery, Ala.)
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| September 12, 1863 |
Sued by the Alabama
& Florida (of Florida) RR
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| Received
correspondence regarding Florida RR iron
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September 18, 1863 |
Presented to the
Bureau various questions in regard to the Southern RRs
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| Refered statement and
protest of the Mississippi, Gainesville & Tuscaloosa RR
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| September 20, 1863 |
Carrying out the request from the
Secretary of the Navy for Brunswick & Florida RR iron
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| September 22, 1863 |
Had an injunction against him in the
Richmond Courts relating to the removal of the iron of the Roanoke
Valley RR
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| September 23, 1863 |
Ordered to consider removing Tallahassee
RR at the same time as the Florida RR
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| September 24, 1863 |
Made suggestions
regarding impressment operations
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| September 30, 1863 |
Dealt with court
cases
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| October 2, 1863 |
Secretary of War
let Garnett give bond to disburse up to $5,000
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| October 3, 1863 |
Impressed iron on
the Brunswick & Albany RR
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| October 8, 1863 |
Kenney asked for help
with Pemberton getting rolling stock from west of Pearl
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| October 16, 1863 |
Informed of Gen.
Johnston's difficulty in relaying railroad
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| Paid for removal of
Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac RR iron
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| Requested payment of
expenses for Brunswick & Albany RR iron removal
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| Recommended addition
of an officer to the Iron Commission
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| October 22, 1863 |
Gilmer ordered Rives
to get Garnett to remove iron in northern Virginia
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| October 23, 1863 |
Secretary of War agreed that removed iron
is Government freight
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| Received report on
Southern (of Mississippi) RR and New Orleans, Jackson & Great
Northern RR
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| October 28, 1863 |
Major Minor Meriwether joined Garnett as
second member on Commission
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| Bought tools for
office
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| October 29, 1863 |
Removing iron from Orange & Alexandria
RR and Mississippi Central RR
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| October 30, 1863 |
Requested permission to employ a particular
agent in eastern North Carolina to acquire iron
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| Recommended handling
of iron and recommended removal of Tallahassee RR
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| Recommended length of
time for repayment for the Lawton & Live Oak RR
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| October 31, 1863 |
Reported that completion of Alabama &
Mississippi Rivers RR was making satisfactory progress
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| Paid Iron Commission
Agent
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| November 2, 1863 |
Construction of
Lawton & Live Oak connection
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| November 7, 1863 |
Reported to be in charge of the repairs
between Demopolis and McDowell
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| "Colonel" Garnett's status
clarified
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| November 10, 1863 |
Paid for buying
wheels for iron removal near Fredericksburg
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| November 11, 1863 |
Wanted to meet with
new Commissioner Meriwether in South Carolina
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| November 12, 1863 |
Joined Chief of Engineer Bureau in asking
General Johnston's Chief Engineer to devote time and attention to
making repairs of railroads with a view of saving iron and
machinery.
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| November 14, 1863 |
Requested to advise on the relative value
of scrap iron to heavy rail.
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| November 16, 1863 |
Ideas for connecting
Georgia and Florida
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| November 19, 1863 |
Reported on status of
court case with Alabama & Florida (of Florida) RR and possible
compromise
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| November 24, 1863 |
Kinney's slow progress reported to Garnett
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| November 25, 1863 |
Paid for freight on
RR spikes and chairs from near Fredericksburg to Richmond
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| Arranged for payment
for Brunswick & Albany RR iron removal
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| December 3, 1863 |
His letter of the
day before was forwarded to Secretary of War regarding Florida
railroads
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| December 5, 1863 |
Was reported to be
on duty in Richmond
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| December 11, 1863 |
Ordered to report on
the impressment of the Laurens RR
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| Forwarded copy of
certificate given to Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac RR
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| December 31, 1863 |
Requested payment for
Mr. Fairbanks
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| January 4, 1864 |
Reported receiving 49
tons old iron from Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac RR
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| Sims requested iron
for South Carolina RR
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| January 6, 1864 |
Planed to meet Major
Meriwether to discuss removal of iron from the Florida RR
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| January 7, 1864 |
Authorized, with
Maj. Meriwether, to purchase or impress the iron on the Florida RR,
the Tallahassee RR, and 19 miles of the Florida, Atlantic & Gulf
Central RR
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| January 14, 1864 |
Ordered to make
another attempt to get the iron between Fredericksburg and Acquia
Creek
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| Requested Whitford
ship rails to Greensboro
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| January 20, 1864 |
Received letter from
President, South Carolina RR
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| January 22, 1864 |
Ordered to renew
efforts to retrieve iron from Fredericksburg area and from the
Rogersville & Jefferson RR
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| Forwarded proposal
regarding building the Augusta & Columbia RR
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| January 28, 1864 |
Authorized to remove
10 miles of Wilmington, Charlotte & Rutherford RR
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| Report forwarded
regarding payment for iron
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| February 4, 1864 |
Requested to provide
30 kegs of railroad spikes
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| February 9, 1864 |
Urged taking iron
from Wilmington, Charlotte & Rutherford RR to maintain the
Wilmington & Manchester RR
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| February 12, 1864 |
Recommended approval
of Sims' plan to take iron from a RR
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| February 13, 1864 |
Proposal to add the
Eastern Division of the Wilmington, Charlotte & Rutherford RR to
the list of roads to be despoiled was sent to the Secretary of Was
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| February 19, 1864 |
Told to use special
agent if necessary to remove Rogersville & Jefferson RR iron
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| February 22, 1864 |
Informed Rives that
Savannah, Albany & Gulf RR will not construct the Lawton to Live
Oak connection.
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| Ordered to forward
Lauren RR papers to Rives and discuss them with the Secretary of War
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| Had Memminger
document sent to him for reply
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| Ordered to support
the Piedmont RR construction
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| February 23, 1864 |
Requested permission
to take up the King's Mountain RR
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| February 24, 1864 |
Was requested to
change the distribution of some RR track
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| Needed wagons and
teams to remove iron from Fredericksburg area
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| February 25, 1864 |
Asked if iron can be
found for the extension of the Virginia Central RR from Jackson's
River to Covington
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| Paid for removing
rails from the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac RR
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| February 27, 1864 |
Was reported to have
recommended the removal of iron from the Wilmington, Charlotte &
Rutherford RR
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| March 1, 1864 |
Requested permission
to remove the iron from the Mobile & Spring Hill RR
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| March 7, 1864 |
Question of removing
iron from the Atlantic, Tennessee & Ohio RR raised
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| March 8, 1864 |
Requested to provide
the amount and cost of the iron provided for the Piedmont RR
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| Requested a detail
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| March 10, 1864 |
Received suggestions
on impressing Florida iron
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| March 11, 1864 |
Received request for
iron for the Wilmington & Weldon RR
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| Agreed with plan for
use of Richmond & Danville RR iron
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| March 14, 1864 |
Requested to provide
additional information about the proposed Columbia to Augusta RR
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| March 17, 1864 |
Directed to remove
the iron from the Mississippi, Gainesville & Tuscaloosa RR
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| Approved transfer of
RR iron to Sims
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| March 22, 1864 |
Reported the amount
due to the Roanoke Valley RR
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| March 28, 1864 |
Was issued shovels
and picks in Richmond
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| April 2, 1864 |
Involved in moving
the iron apparently removed from the Roanoke Valley RR for use on
the Piedmont RR
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| April 9, 1864 |
Requested a man be
detailed to him as a railroad expert
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| April 12, 1864 |
Paid for shoeing and
wagon work
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| April 13, 1864 |
Requested immediate
detail of an officer to get iron for the Piedmont RR
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| Received $5,000 from
Col. Rives
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| April 14, 1864 |
Asked for detail to
load iron on cars
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| April 16, 1864 |
Wrote Rives and
submitted accounts
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| April 18, 1864 |
Reported on iron
sources for Richmond & Danville RR
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| April
22, 1864 |
Paid for removal of
rails from the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac RR
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| Paid for removal of
rails from the Roanoke Valley RR
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| April 25, 1864 |
Letter regarding
chairs and rails referred to him
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| April 29, 1864 |
Telegram forwarded
to him regarding iron for the Wilmington & Manchester RR
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| Told to await Gen.
Gilmer's instructions regarding Florida RR iron issue
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| April ?, 1864 |
Paid freight for
iron from near Fredericksburg to Richmond
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| May 14, 1864 |
Meriwether reported
on the status of seizing Florida RR iron
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| May 17, 1864 |
Ordered to find a
mile of iron on the Richmond & York River RR and get it to the
Richmond & Petersburg RR for repairs
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| May 18, 1864 |
Made agreement with
Richmond & York River RR for iron
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| May 19, 1864 |
Ordered to report on
the status of shipment of iron just removed from Richmond & York
River RR
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| May 31, 1864 |
Commented on Alabama
& Florida (of Florida) RR case
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| June 8, 1864 |
Ordered to create a
reserve of 2 miles of RR iron in Richmond
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| June 10, 1864 |
Was reported to have
stored RR iron in Richmond for repair of Virginia Central RR
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| June 22, 1864 |
Iron for Central (of
Georgia) RR
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| June 23, 1864 |
Reported on the
difficulty of procuring RR iron
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| Reported on the
urgent need for 1 mile iron for the Piedmont RR and iron for the
Wilmington & Manchester RR
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| Supported in plan to
impress Richmond & York River RR iron
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| June 24, 1864 |
Requested to return
to Richmond immediately since there may be a requirement for iron
for the Richmond & Danville RR. Was evidently at home in ill
health.
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| Involved in plan to
impress the Eastern Division of the Wilmington, Charlotte &
Rutherford RR
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| Had designated roads
to have rails taken to support the Richmond & Danville RR
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| June 25, 1864 |
Rives replied to
several RR matters
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| July 1, 1864 |
Authorized interest
payment on iron from Seaboard & Roanoke RR
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| July 5, 1864 |
Requesed lawyer be
assigned to the Commission
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| July 8, 1864 |
Reported giving a
certificate of indebtedness to the Seaboard & Roanoke RR
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| July 9, 1864 |
Proposal regarding
Atlantic, Tennessee & Ohio RR iron
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| July 12, 1864 |
Submited accounts
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| July 23, 1864 |
Bought 5 cars and 1
set of truck wheels from the Allen Plantation RR
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| July 29, 1864 |
RR iron and
turntable was sent to him from Gordonsville
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| August 12, 1864 |
Ordered to get from
the Richmond & Danville RR the flat rail that was replaced by T
rail
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| Ordered to remove
iron from the Orange & Alexandria RR
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| August 15, 1864 |
Mentioned as wanting
to remove Seaboard & Roanoke RR iron for repairs
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| August 25, 1864 |
Purchased 476 tons
of Atlantic, Tennessee & Ohio RR iron, laid on the Piedmont RR
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| August 26, 1864 |
Commented on claim
from the Alabama & Florida (of Florida) RR
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| September 1, 1864 |
Questioned interest
to be paid to RR companies on certificates
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| September 3, 1864 |
Sent Chatham RR
papers to Bureau
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| September 8, 1864 |
Received approval of
Capt. Walker claim
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| September 9, 1864 |
Signed account for
iron removed from Brunswick & Albany RR
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| September 19, 1864 |
Asked Seaboard &
Roanoke RR interest be paid to its President
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| September 21, 1864 |
Seaboard &
Roanoke RR iron bill
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| September 27, 1864 |
Impressment of
Lauren RR iron
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| September 30, 1864 |
Capt. E. T. D. Myers
added to the Iron Commission
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| His expenditures for
the quarter
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| October 28, 1864 |
Interest for Alabama
& Florida (of Florida) RR
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| October 31, 1864 |
Personal letter
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