| Head Qrs. Milt Dist of Florida |
| Camp Milton, May 3d 1864 |
| |
| Maj. Genl. J. F. Gilmer |
| Chief Engineer Bureau |
| |
| General, |
| Your letter of 28th ulto is
received. Before this reaches you, you will have been informed of the
action taken by the parties interested in the Rail Roads of East
Florida, to prevent the Gov't. from taking up the iron from their
tracks. About the time the injunction was obtained restraining the
agents of the Govt. from removing the iron, or any of the fixtures of
the road, Mr. Yulee, Prest of the Cedar Keys Road
{Florida RR}, addressed me a communication on the subject of the
two connections, with the request that I would forward it to the Prest
with such remarks as I might deem proper. I replied to his
communication, and merely forwarded, both his letter, and a copy of my
reply, to the War Dept. I herewith forward to you, copies of each: by my
reply, you will see that I anticipated the conclusion at which the Govt
has finally arrived. |
| Mr. Yulee had informed me in
conversation, at the time the injunction was served upon Mr. Fairbanks,
Agt. &c, that the East Florida interests intend to build the Monticello
& Thomasville connection at once and that too, whether the Govt adopted
it or not and that part at least, of the iron for that purpose would be
furnished by the Companies interested in the East Florida Roads. If the
Govt should be delayed for any length of time by the civil process of
the courts, in executing its plan of connection at Live Oak & Lawton,
the Companies interested in the rival route, being the owners of the
roads in East Fla. from which the iron is to be derived, for either
connection will have it in their power to defeat the Govt entirely, by
taking up a few miles, only, of their roads, in sections remote from,
and cutting off those portions of their roads near their termini. For
instance, they only need eight miles to complete the Florida portion of
the Thomasville connection. Suppose they take up four miles of
the iron, next to Baldwin, on the Baldwin & Fernandina Road, and
four miles more, next to Gainesville, on the road from
Gainesville to Cedar Keys, neither of which roads are now used, except
occasionally, to supply small outposts. You will see that the Govt would
be deprived of using the forty or fifty miles of road, at each of the
termini, Fernandina and Cedar Keys, by reason of having those termini
cut off from access, by the gaps of four miles each. |
| It is my opinion that the Govt
will never get the iron unless it takes it as a Military necessity, and
if that necessity exists, the sooner it is taken, the less trouble will
be had, and the fewer obstacles encountered. |
| I am, General, very respty |
| Your Obt. Servt. |
| Patton Anderson |
| Maj. Genl. |
|