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Richmond March 12 1863 |
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Mr. E. H. Gill |
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Gen Supt R&P RR |
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Dear Sir, |
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Thirty thousand bushels of corn belonging to the
Confederate States will be delivered every week at Weldon and from
thence by Petersburg Railroad to Petersburg. In future all cars bringing
corn from Tarboro and other Depots of Wilmington & Weldon Road to
Richmond will be unloaded at Weldon & Petersburg with the exception of
the two regular corn trains which will be brought to Weldon by the
engines of the Wilmington & Weldon Road and thence to Petersburg by the
engines of the Petersburg & Weldon Road
{Petersburg RR}. I had heard that all corn cars would be brought
through and exhausted every effort to secure such an arrangement but it
is decided that the best interest of the service required that each
railroad shall do its own work. I will now exhaust every effort so far
as my Department is concerned and give every possible assistance in my
power to promote the satisfactory working of the adopted system. It is a
military necessity that 27500 bushels {183 car
loads} of the 30000 bushels of corn
{200 car loads} delivered weekly in Petersburg shall be brought promptly to the City.
Col. Sanford desired me to say that Col Wadley had recently offered to
his road five new freight cars and that he had informed Col Wadley that
he would take them at the offered price but that if you desired to
buy these cars he would cheerfully allow you to take them. He further
said that his Road would purchase a hundred such cars if ????? power to
do so. I ask the favor of you to inform me whether the Government may
expect your Company to furnish the necessary engines to bring the two
corn trains ??mplly from Petersburg to this City and in addition to
provide transportation for all of the Government corn unloaded in
Petersburg from the Petersburg & Weldon cars (provided that the whole
amount of corn thus brought over your Road weekly for the Government
does not exceed 27500 bushels.) I repeat that it is a military necessity
that this corn shall come to Richmond and be assured that it will
give me great pleasure to give you any assistance in my power in the
forwarding. |
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Very Respectfully |
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Chas S. Carrington {in charge of procuring forage
in North Carolina for Lee's army} |
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Maj & Q. M. |
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Cannot do half of it |
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EHG |
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