| Mobile, October 26th 1864 |
| |
| Major S. B. French |
| CS |
| Richmond VA |
| |
| Major, |
| After confiring with Majors
Campbell & Guy at Montgomery I found that it would be necessary for me
to see the chf of commissary of this state Major Walker at this place,
when I arrived yesterday at 11 AM. |
| The complaint of no funds is
greater here than in Georgia and you may imagine how seriously the
credit of the Government is impaired by this deficiency, when, as I am
informed by both Major Walker & Major Campbell, that certificates of
indebtedness are hard ??? about the streets and freely offered, at a
discount of fifty per cent! The golden opportunity for gathering the
little surplus of bacon has been for the most part lost, & now Major
Walker tells me no more bacon can be procured than will be required for
the use of the forces here. I hope he is mistaken in this, for the
information I got in Montgomery & Opelika is that there can yet be
gathered several hundred thousand pounds of bacon, providing the money
can be furnished to buy with. |
| The crops of corn & hogs &
peas and the quantity of sorghum made in this state will be immense --
greater than ever before, but with the only outlet through the West
Point & Montgomery Road {Montgomery & West Point
RR}, and there is more old corn now at the latter point, than
that road with all its appliances can move in three months, these
supplies will be of but little use to our troops in Virginia, and then
coal & iron must be supplied through this channel for the Navy
Department, and there are other imperative demands upon it. A great
desideration would result from breaking up entirely the Express Company,
and a large number of hale & vigorous men & fine horses could be added
to our army in so doing. Major Walker I find an intelligent gentleman
energetic in his official duties. He tells me that any county in his
state is thoroughly canvassed by his agents, and all the supplies that
can be are gotten out, but now they are stopped from the want of funds.
I leave at 2 in the afternoon & after a brief interview with Major M?? &
Major Campbell I shall hasten my return. |
| I am Major |
| Very Respectfully |
| W H Smith |
| Major & CS |
| |
| {on the back of the
document} |
| Bureau of Subsistence |
| Richmond, Nov. 2nd, 1864 |
| Respy submitted to the C. G. S. for his
information |
| SBFrench Major & C. S. |
| QMGenl |
| Through trains are being arranged by means
of increased stock and the Engineer Dept aiding in adding more iron to
make ??? ??? {turntable Sa?) |
| L B N CS |
|