| Richmond, May 26th 1864 |
| |
| Major S. B. French |
| CS |
| Richmond VA |
| |
| Major, |
| I have just returned from the
performance of the duty assigned me by the Secretary of War under
Special Orders No 71 and of the Commissary General as contained in your
letter of the 25th March ulto. |
| Proceeding first to Raleigh, I
thence traversed the No. Carolina Road to Charlotte stopping at all
intermediate depots where there were accumulations of subsistence
stores, returning to Company's Shops that I might confer with Mr Sumner
the Superintendent of the Road. After a protracted interview with this
gentleman I arranged with him that subsistence stores in the emergency
should have precedence of transportation, altho his orders were first to
move corn, and that all accumulations on the line of his road should be
promptly sent forward. I visited Hickory Tavern & conferred with the
superintendent of the Western {North Carolina}
Road, saw that all accumulations there were promptly shipped and
examined the excellent arrangements of Major Todd for slaughtering &
curing beef & pork & manufacturing casks. From Charlotte I proceeded on
to Columbia & Augusta, confirming with commissaries & rail road managers
& seeing that all accumulations of subsistence were promptly forwarded
to Petersburg & Richmond. |
| I urged upon all commissariats
to look up & secure all the tithes they profitably could and to add to
this stock by purchase or impressment. Returning to Columbia, I was
surprised to learn from Major Sloan the Chief Qr Master for the
collection of tithes, that his agents were much encumbered from heavy
accumulations of the bacon throughout his state & urging the importance
of speedily getting it out of the way. |
| I felt it imperative upon me
to communicate this fact to Major Guerin the Chf Comy of So Carolina,
which I did in person. I set forth to him the urgent demand for bacon
for the Army of Northern Virginia & pointed out how he could place it at
Charlotte, where, if compelled to ship in bulk, Major Lowe would see
that it was promptly sent forward. |
| With a promise from Major
Guerin that he would look into this matter & avail of my suggestions, I
returned to Columbia & thence to Charlotte. At the latter place I
received a telegram from Capt Witherspoon, that orders had arrived for
me at Columbia which he would forward to me by mail. These orders I
found embedded in your despatch to him, directing me to assist in
getting out the tithe bacon of that state. I immediately returned to
Columbia but had to await the authority of Major Guerin for me to direct
his district commissaries in the premises. I visited every district in
the state and set all the District Commissaries to work in collecting in
the tithes of not only bacon but every other article of subsistence |
| and I urged them all to purchase wherever
they could and to impress, whenever they encountered the speculator &
extortioner. Having placed in motion all the accumulations I could find
on the lines of road & done every thing in my power to hurry forward
shipments & increase supplies, I proceeded to Wilmington & communicated
with Capt McKinney. I examined the imported bacon there & made such
suggestions concerning it as I deemed expedient. The bacon, originally
well cured & excellent had suffered greatly from exposure & had become
very rancid & nasty. The sooner it is gotten rid of the better. And if
pickled pork & beef can be had abroad I would suggest the discontinuance
of importations of bacon particularly in war weather. Pork packed in
Irish tierces of 304 lbs, in 4th pieces & without bone as it is
extensively put up in Ireland is the best thing you can import in the
way of meat, & next is the barreled pork as usually put up in the
northern & western states of the old union. Sethen will keep for years,
& is more readily & commonly handled & transported, preparing always
mess pork. But all your Commissaries wherever I have been, are utterly
estopped from purchasing further articles of sustenance from the want of
funds. Already they have exhausted their own private means & credit, and
they can do little or nothing with the certificates, though interest
bearing, that you have supplied them with. Unless this is speedily
remedied, you can expect nothing further in the way of purchases &
opportunities for buying will soon be altogether gone. |
| I am pleased to notice the
general promotion of purchasing commissary to a Majority, it will I
think prove advantageous. But Major Cranston at Augusta who is an active
business man should I think be the purchasing commissary for his
district. And I doubt not that a change there will be agreeable to Major
Looker. |
| Major Myers is peculiarly
fitted for his duties. He is energetic & shrewd and with a business
intercourse for some fifteen years with the whole western region of
North Carolina, he can do more in getting in supplies than any one else.
Major Todd is above all men I have met with, the best suited for
slaughtering & curing meat, & superintending the manufacture of
packages. His plan of kiln drying his plank & making casks is excellent,
they are the best & most substantial I have ever seen, and are better
suited for shipping any article of subsistence in than any thing else.
It would be highly advantageous if he could add largely to his force of
coopers &c & his whole time should be directed to the superintendence of
this business & the packing of beef & pork. |
| I have taken the liberty
Major, of ??? throwing out to you such suggestions as presented to my
mind in the course of my journey, they are harmless at best & may assist
you in your endeavors to meet the exigencies of the service. |
| I am Very Respectfully |
| W H Smith |
| Major & CS |
|