| Columbus Miss |
| July 5th 1864 |
| |
| Col. F. W. Sims |
| Chief Rail Road Bureau |
| Richmond Va. |
| |
| Sir, |
| I am this day in receipt of Special Order
No 122 dated "Adjt & Inspector Genls Office Richmond May 26th
1864, ordering me to report to you for the duty of Superintendent
& Controller Govt Transportation on the Rail Roads West of the Ala
River. |
| I will be well enough by the 15th of this
Month to return to Meridian & will be ready to obey any and all
orders & instructions you may wish to give. |
| While in Mobile last Spring I found it necessary
to interfere somewhat with the transportation matters there in
regard to the Mobile & Gt Noth R Road. I found that there was a
great preference shown the boats over the Rail Road & I have
attempted & I hope have rectified this matter. I was then acting under the orders of
Lieut Gen Polk but as I ????? the orders just mentioned. My duty will
be strictly with the Rail Roads west & not east of the Ala River. |
| Another matter which I wish to trouble you
with. It is this. It is necessary for me to travel a great deal at
least one half my time & while my pay is say $5 per day my Hotel
bills will be $15 or $20 -- three or four times my pay. The traveling
costs the Govt nothing as I am passed over all the Rail Roads free of
charge either to myself or the Govt. Could I be paid my actual
expenses while traveling on Govt business. My expenses have been more
than double my pay many months since I have been on Rail Road duty. If
there has been no order issued on this subject there certainly should
be one. |
| If you should think it is best for me to
report to you in person please notify me. I would like to know your
views fully on the subject of Rail Roads & Rail Road
transportation in gen. While acting under the orders of Gen Johnston
& Gen Polk I not only took a general supervision of Rail Roads but
of Quarter Masters & others whose duty it was to issue
transportation & I have the satisfaction of knowing that much time
to the soldiers as well as money to the Govt was saved by those
actions. I would be glad at some lesson time show you my
correspondences with Rail Road Superintendents & Qr Masters on the
subject of Govt transportation. |
| It will be necessary that I should have an
order from your office on transportation office paper at Richmond or Head Qrs of this
Department to force ?olestion & at anytime through ??? the limits of the
Department. I had such orders from Gen Johnston & Polk & I
presume I will have no difficulty in obtaining them from Gen Lee. |
| Please excuse this long letter. When I get
regularly to work will only write to the point & in a few words. |
| Hoping to hear from you soon |
| I am |
| Very Respectfully |
| Your obat servt |
| Geo Whitfield |
| Maj & Q M |
| |
| P. S. |
| The ??? order from Richmond referred to
within was mailed to Enterprise instead of Meridian this will explain the
reason it was not received sooner. |