| Headquarters Army of Northern Virginia |
| February 11, 1863 |
| |
| Hon. James A. Seddon, Secretary of War |
| |
| Sir, |
| I feel very much obliged to you for the
consideration which you have given to the subject of subsisting this
army. From the reports brought by Lieutenant-Colonel Cole, chief
commissary, I understand that the principal reliance for meat is
based upon the present supplies at Atlanta and in Tennessee, and
that the chief difficulty will be in its regular transportation by
rail to Richmond. Will you allow me to suggest that energetic agents
of the Quartermaster's Department be at once detailed, if it has not
already been done, to attend to the transportation of this meat from
Atlanta to Richmond. |
| I have not heard whether the bridges
destroyed by the enemy on the Tennessee and Virginia {Virginia
& Tennessee} Railroad have been reconstructed. If any aid
is required to transport the provisions over the broken part of the
road, if necessary I will detail an officer and men to repair
thither for the purpose. I will suggest, too, that the
transportation of other articles on that road, not of primary
importance, be suspended until the meat in question has been placed
within the control of the Commissary-General, at Richmond. |
| About the 19th ultimo, I directed the
chief quartermaster of this army to apply fifty wagons of its
transportation train to convey the wheat which might be purchased by
the agents of the Commissary Department at Richmond, in the counties
lying between the Rappahannock and the Pamunkey Rivers, to the {Virginia}
Central Railroad at Hanover Court House, and requested that
the Commissary-General might be informed of this arrangement. I
wrote to His Excellency the President on the subject, and suggested,
in addition, that all the spare wagons in Richmond, Gordonsville,
Charlottesville, &c., be collected and applied to the conveyance
of the wheat in Green, Madison, and Culpeper Counties to the
railroad, for transportation to Richmond. It is probable that this
arrangement is being carried out, though I have not as yet heard of
anything being accomplished. All the wheat which has been collected
on the Fredericksburg road {Richmond,
Fredericksburg & Potomac RR}, I am informed, has been
forwarded to Richmond, but no new supply is coming in to the road. |
| I have now directed the different
commissaries of this army, while engaged in collecting supplies for
their respective commands, to purchase all the wheat they can, and
cause it to be transported to the railroad, for conveyance to
Richmond. I must again earnestly invite your attention to this
subject. |
| I have the honor to be, with much respect, your
obedient servant |
| R. E. Lee |
| General |
|