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Confederate States of America |
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Agency War Department
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Wilmington, N. C., 16th Oct 1863 |
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Brig Genl A R Lawton |
| Qr Mr General |
|
Richmond |
| |
| Sir, |
| I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of
your communication of the 13th. |
| I enclose two Cotton Statements, showing
respectively the receipts & the shipments for your Department proper &
for special a/c the latter being certain shipments from Major Jos T.
Winnamore Augusta, Geo. ***** |
| The difficulty of transportation has been
the most serious obstacle to obtaining Cotton here. The W. & M. RR
{Wilmington & Manchester RR} affords little or no assistance and
I have had to depend almost entirely on trains furnished by other
Companies to bring Cotton here. If from any cause Cotton be unloaded at
Florence there it remains until arrangements can be made with other
lines to transport it. At this moment, Government Cotton is lying there
which has been exposed a month or longer and but for a train obtained by
me from the C. & G. R. R. {probably Central (of
Georgia) RR} it would probably remain another. |
| I respectfully suggest an arrangement by
which through transportation could be obtained from Macon and if
possible from West Point. At the latter point, owing to the different
grade {gauge?}, all Cotton from Montgomery
must be unloaded & every changed of cars entails loss & delay. The
running of a through train from Augusta here has materially frustrated
me but the requirements here of Cotton for shipment & for freight to
purchase settlements of inward cargo, are 1500 Bl per week, unless the
number of vessels running the blockade be greatly reduced. The contrary
is more likely to be the case. |
| ***** |
| Very respectfully |
| Your Obt. Servt. |
| J. M. Seixas |
| Agt. War Dept. |
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