| Quarter Master General's Department |
| Richmond, June 23rd 1864 |
| |
| Genl. Robert E. Lee |
| Comdg. etc A. N. Va. |
| |
| General, |
| The Secretary of War has
handed me your letter of the 21st instant and desires me to reply to
so much of it as relaters to the prospect of supplies by railway, the
probably loss of the line to Weldon & etc. I beg to assure you,
that if the occupation by the enemy of the Petersburg & Weldon
Road {the Petersburg RR} is any thing
like permanent, it must seriously diminish our supplies from the
South, the organization on that line is more perfect and there is
much greater capacity to do a large business. The {Richmond
&} Danville Road has always been a "Local
Neighborhood" concern; and cannot at once work up to the
requirements of the present emergency. The Piedmont Road is entirely
new, and cannot be considered really as complete. I have again
earnestly called the attention of the Engineer Bureau (through which
the Government has connected itself with the construction of the road)
to its defective condition, and hope a few days will see a decided
improvement. All the rolling stock called for has been supplied by
this department, and I assure you General, no effort will be spared to
make the Danville route equal to the emergency. |
| This note will be handed you
by Major Carrington or Capt. Robinson, & either of them can give
you any further explanation or information. My chief object in sending
you this note is to obtain your views as to the safety of continuing
to run our trains from Weldon to Petersburg. It certainly is all
important to do so if there is any approach to safety in the effort.
But if the danger of losing the supplies & the trains immanent we
must at once begin to send (even from Wilmington by way of Raleigh
& Greensboro). Please let me have your views and I will spare no
effort to supply you by one or the other route. |
| A. R. Lawton, Q. M. Genl. |
|