| Headquarters Spaight's Battalion |
| Beaumont, Tex., October 2, 1862 |
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| Lieut. R. M. Franklin |
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Acting Assistant Adjutant-General
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Sir,
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| No further attempt has
been made to destroy the Eastern Texas Railroad bridge, but to-day
the railroad depot, a mile above the town, was burned. In
conversations with Captain Burch to-day Captain Pennington said
there should be no more travel on our (Eastern Texas) railroad; he
would send a light-draught schooner up opposite Taylor's Bayou
bridge. He also let it out that he expected soon two New York
ferry-boats to ascend the two rivers. They have brought in as prize
a light-draught schooner, and seem to be fitting her up with guns.
The bridge and lower part of the road are at their mercy whenever
they choose to bring a light-draught boat to bear. They can also
prevent the crossing at the ferry near the bridge, and this will cut
off communication with the Pass, except by a long and bad route by
way of the Gulf beach. In that event I shall be almost forced to
withdraw my cavalry from the vicinity of the Pass on account of the
difficulty of transportation for supplies. To prevent this I must
have artillery. If I could get one or two guns, large or small, to
place at the mouth of Taylor's Bayou, just below the bridge, I could
defeat their purpose, keep open communication, and confine them to
their boats with my cavalry. They can bring no heavy guns to bear on
the bridge and crossing. A 24-pounder or two would answer my
purpose. If they are not to be had let me urge upon the colonel
commanding to send me such as are to be had without delay. It
certainly should be our aim to yield no inch of ground without a
fight, especially where by timely preparation we may beat them off.
Besides, we lose and they gain a great deal by the breaking up of
this communication. It is 75 miles to the Pass by any other route
and by a road almost impassable to wagons. This would make it
difficult for us to prevent them from obtaining beeves at will.
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***** The rivers make it difficult to concentrate on
any one point in the event it should become necessary. Since it
would be as easy to remove troops from Orange or Beaumont to any
other point on the coast as from Hempstead, I would suggest that it
might be well to send a portion of the troops stationed there to
this locality. *****
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| Your obedient servant, |
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A. W. Speight
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Lieutenant-Colonel, Commanding
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