| Raleigh, April 9, 1864 |
| |
| Major S. B. French |
| CS |
| Richmond VA |
| |
| Major, |
| Regretting very much the
miscarriage of your letter of the 25 ult: addressed to me at
Williamsboro', I have now to acknowledge rect of your of the 6th inst
conveying duplicate of that and of the orders of the Secr of War. Your
despatch to Capt Reynolds reached me on the evening of the 7th and I
arrived here last evening too late however for business. |
| I find that Capt Peirce the
transportation agent here has faithfully availed of all my suggestions
on a former occasion, and commissary goods are promptly forwarded on to
their destination. More care too is taken in handling corn, & he
regularly advises consignees of shipments as they go forward. Capt
Peirce has showed me a letter from the transpn agent at Gaston advising
that everything had gone forward from the Depot there, & the Petersburg
cars were in waiting for further arrivals. I shall therefore take the
early morning train for Salisbury, where there has been a large
accumulation of both Comy & Qr Masters stores, but, as Major Echols Q.
M. at Charlotte has (as I learn) taken vigorous measures & stopped the
mail train, I hope to find supplies moving forward. There was a few days
ago an immense amount of property at Salisbury Concord Lexington &
Hollisburg awaiting transportation. As ascertained by Capt Peirce there
were on the 5 inst at Salisbury 300 bls flour {7
1/2 car loads} & 5000 lbs bacon, at Concord 700 bls flour
9 car loads} & 50,000 # bacon
{3 car loads} at Lexington 300 bls flour
5000# bacon & at Salisbury again 200 bls flour 40 pds bacon & 2 boxes 7
bls lard & 286 bags wheat. Of Qr Masters stores there were 1000 bales
hay 2300 bushs corn {15 car loads}, at
Concord 400 bales hay {8 car loads} 3000
bush corn {20 car loads} & the Hollisburg
Depot was filled with tithe corn. There is at this place but 654 sacks
Comy corn {4 car loads}, which will be
shipped tomorrow, there is also here 3600 sks Qr Masters corn
{24 car loads}. The management of the North
Carolina road is bad. No system & great ???. The Raleigh & Gaston road
is under better management & prepared to furnish two freight trains per
day. |
| I shall exert myself to carry
out your instructions & will regularly report to you my procurings & ??? |
| I am Major |
| Very Respectfully |
| W H Smith |
| Major & CS |
| |
| I have at this 6 PM just recd your telegram
of this date & in reply advise, that Capt Reynolds under orders from
Major Sloan had shipped all his spare flour to Goldsboro, have directed
him to ship all his surplus bacon to Richmond some 40000 lbs
(2 1/2 car loads} forthwith, and to send
flour whenever he can. |
| W H Smith |
| Major & CS |
|