| Raleigh, N. C., April 20th, 1863 |
| |
| Mr. T. J. Sumner, Chief Eng. & Gen'l
Sup't N. C. R. R. {Superintendent, North
Carolina RR} |
| |
| Dear Sir, |
| I enclose a copy of a letter
received from the President of the R. & Gaston {Raleigh
& Gaston} R. R., dated 15th April, 1863, proposing a tariff
of prices to be paid by the Government for Rail Road transportation.
You will recollect that the original letter of Dr. Hawkins was
submitted to, and approved by you. I also enclose a copy of a letter
received from the Quarter Master General, dated 17th April, 1863, and
authorizing me to assent to the advanced rates proposed by Dr.
Hawkins. You will please, also, find enclosed copies of
communications, from the Chief Engineers and Superintendents, of the
Wilmington, Charlotte & Rutherford and Western North Carolina Rail
Roads, tendering to the Government a portion of their transportation
in the mode and upon the conditions mentioned therein. I hope that
these papers will receive your approval. |
| I thank you for your verbal
promise, to me, to bring weekly over your Road to this City (12,000)
twelve thousand bushels of corn {about 390 car
load per week -- requiring 4 to 5 trains per day}, if the same
be provided, and also the baled hay, at Salisbury, and along the line
of your Road. There are 2000 of these bales now waiting shipment from
Hillsboro and Salisbury, and depots in their vicinity, to Goldsboro;
where they are much needed by the command by Major General D. H. Hill.
Some 6 or 8000 bales {about 2 full trains}
in addition, will probably be ready for shipment during the present
month and that of May. There are, also, between 4 and 5000 bushels of
corn {about 1 train} at Concord, which is
required at the earliest hour in Richmond. I believe that the delivery
of corn at your depots as far East as Salisbury, will be large;
perhaps the larger portion of the corn shipped for the Government over
your Road, will come from South Carolina, but a large quantity will
come from the counties of Mecklenburg, Catawba and Rowan, and smaller
quantities from the counties of these and West of Raleigh. |
| The people are being aroused
to the necessity of more self-denying exertions to sustain the army;
and will spare for this purpose whatever they can from their own
subsistence. It is most important that your depots shall be kept
clear; and that this patriotic determination, shall not be checked by
want of storage room for the corn, or the seeming inconsistency of
urging its delivery at depots and want of provision for its removal A
large amount of commissary stores still remain at Charlotte,
Salisbury, and perhaps other depots of your Road. You will pardon me
for saying, that the safety of the Country, imperatively requires, the
most prompt possible shipments over your Road, of all Government
freight. This is especially true, of stores necessary to the
subsistence of the soldiers and horses of the army. The Secretary of
War requested me to see you upon this subject. And I now respectfully
ask that you will allow me to report to him your pledge that
Government freight shall have preference over your Road to all other
freight, and that it shall be promptly transported if it absorbs your
entire rolling stock, including your passenger trains. I hope that you
will not regard me, as extravagant in this request, when I assure you,
that in my judgment, the safety of a large portion of North Carolina
and Virginia requires that it shall be granted. If it shall become
necessary for the Government to apply for the transportation of the W.
C. & R. and W. N. C. R. Roads, as tendered in the enclosed
communications from their officers, I respectfully ask that you will
say, that the trains of these Roads in passing over your Road bed,
shall receive every facility of rapid transit, provided for the
freight trains of the N. C. Road. It is not designed that this
communication shall in any way interfere, with any obligations which
your Road may have entered into with Col. Wadley, A. A. G., for the
transportation of Government freight and troops. |
| Very Respectfully, |
| Chas. S. Carrington |
| Maj. and Qr. M. |
| AR, R&G 4-21-63 |
|