| Office Petersburg Railroad Company |
| Corner Washington and Union Streets |
| Petersburg, Virginia, December 24th 1863 |
| |
| Brig. Genl. A. R. Lawton |
| Qr Mr Genl. |
| |
| Sir, |
| I am under the necessity of
applying to the Government to detail from the Army four men as
Machinists upon the Petersburg Rail Road, and by instruction of the
Secretary of War, I present this application to you. This company has
not had a Machinist detailed from the Army since the commencement of the
War, nor has this company had a man detailed of any sort to it out of
the army in the field. The condition of the Engines and rolling stock of
the Company which have been very heavily tasked for the last two years
and a half years is now such that it is impossible for the men now in
the service of the Company to keep them in proper order. Several Engines
are now in the shops in a disabled condition which it is impossible to
repair for want of the necessary machinists. |
| The want of these Engines
materially cripples the ability of the Rail Road to do the business of
the Government, which would of course be still further impaired if other
Engines should break down while these are in the shops. I entertain
serious apprehension that unless we can get an additional force of
Mechanics by a detail from the Army, the business of the Govt. must
before long suffer great interruption upon this road. It has been found
impossible to get Machinists elsewhere and it is believed that no
increase of wages which are now very high would enable us to do so. |
| I may add that I am not
induced to make this application for details because I am unwilling to
pay the wages that would be necessary to get the men elsewhere, I would
pay any wages if men could be found rather than draw them from the Army.
But in fact as you doubtless know, the men are not to be found outside
of the Arm. It may be well to state for explanation that a number of
Mechanics some of the Machinists left this Company and went into the
service shortly after the war broke out, who have never come back to it,
and two of our Machinists died, so that our force of Machinists is
actually less at this time than at the commencement of the war,
notwithstanding the great increase of our need for them. It is only
because our machinery was in excellent order at the beginning of the war
that we have been able to get along to this time. |
| The following list of names of
Machinists known or believed to be in Genl R. E. Lees army, in some of
the regiments from Virginia or North Carolina. The first four I would
prefer, but any four of them would answer our purpose. |
| 1. Jos B. Goodwin, Lieut Co F 16th Va Regt
Mahones brigade, Andersons division |
| 2. George W. Evans |
privates Co C, 12th Va Regt same brigade &
division |
| 3.Stephen G. Ledbetter |
|
| 4. David G. N. Baltimore Co C 12th Va Regt
same brigade & division {corrected to Co F
16th Va} |
| 5. Eli Totly private Co K 12th Va Regt same
brigade & division |
| 6. Ben F Kirkland private in Co K, C or F
in one of the above Regiments |
| 7. John Divine entered one of the N
Carolina Regts |
| I beg your early attention as
I understand this application will unavoidably be delayed for some time
under the Rules of the department. |
| Very respectfully |
| Your obt Sevt |
| C. O. Sanford |
| Prest Petersburg R Road Co |
| |
| {on back of document} |
| QMGO Dec 29 1863 |
| Approved and Respectfully referred to the
Sec of War with the hope that these details will be granted. It is
essential to us that R. R. Transportation be made as efficient as
possible. |
| A R Lawton |
| Qr Mr Genl |
| |
| AG |
| Detail four commencing at 2d ??? |
| JAS |
| 30 Dec 63 |