| Headquarters James Island and the Main |
| Charleston, S. C., January 3, 1863 |
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| Brig. Gen. Thomas Jordan |
| Chief of Staff and Assistant Adjutant-General
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| General,
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| I have the honor to report that in
obedience to Special Orders, No. 252, department headquarters, I
proceeded, in charge of the Forty-sixth Georgia Volunteers and
Twenty-fifth South Carolina Volunteers, to Wilmington, N. C., and upon my arrival reported to Brig. Gen. W. H. C.
Whiting, in command at that place. The troops ordered to report to
me from the different districts in this department continued to
arrive until the 19th ultimo, being delayed on account of
insufficient railroad transportation. I would respectfully ask the
attention of the general commanding to the inclosed memorandum of my
assistant adjutant-general as to the arrival and departure of troops
sent to Wilmington, and in this connection would remark that the
delays were occasioned by overloading the trains, by the worn-out
condition of the locomotives, want of wood and water at proper
stations, and want of system in running the trains. I am convinced
that no reliance can be placed upon the railroads for the
transportation of troops to
Wilmington
in any reasonable time or from Wilmington
to this city. Three days elapsed from the reception of my orders to
return before a single train could be furnished, though General
Whiting's chief quartermaster appeared to use every exertion to
obtain transportation. My orders to return were received on the
morning of the 27th December last, and at this time not more than
one-half of the troops, say 2,500 men, have reached this city.
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| The inefficiency of the railroads, as at
present managed, is so apparent and manifest, that I feel
constrained to remark that if re-enforcements to the number of 5,000
or more should at any time be required from this department for the
defense of Wilmington they cannot be placed in position in less than
five days unless changes are made, in the regulations of railroad
transportation. Such delays of course would result if
re-enforcements were required for this city also.
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| The commanding general might well
hesitate to send away the whole or any portion of his movable force
when the delays consequent upon insufficient transportation make it
uncertain when these troops could be returned to him. I would
respectfully suggest that the matter be examined into and that the
evils be remedied as far as may be possible; certainly the want of
proper wood and water stations, so manifest upon the Wilmington
& Manchester Railroad, can be remedied.
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| Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
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| S. R. Gist
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| Brigadier-General, Commanding
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| [Inclosure]
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| Hour of leaving Charleston |
Hour of arrival in Wilmington |
| Forty-sixth Georgia left at 10 p. m. December
14 |
Arrived at 8 a. m. December 14 |
| Twenty-fifth South Carolina left at 2 a. m.
December 15 |
Arrived at 9 p. m. December 16 |
| Twenty-fourth South Carolina left on morning
of the 15th |
Arrived at 1 p. m. December 16 |
| Preston's light battery left at 2 a. m. of the
15th |
Arrived at 10 a. m. December 16 |
| Waties' light battery left at 2 a. m. of the
15th |
Arrived at 2 p. m. December 16 |
| Culpeper's light battery, left on the 15th |
Arrived at 3 a. m. December 17 |
| Sixteenth South Carolina and Nelson's
battalion on the 15th |
Arrived at 12 m. December 17 |
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| Harrison's and Wilson's brigades left
Savannah
on the evening of the 14th; arrived in Charleston
on the evening of the 15th; left for Wilmington
on the morning of the 16th. Harrison's brigade reached Wilmington
at 8 p.m. on the 18th and Wilson's brigade arrived on the morning of the 19th.
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| Respectfully,
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| Mallory P. King
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| Assistant Adjutant-General
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| {The two roads involved were
the Northeastern RR and the Wilmington & Manchester RR.}
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