OR, Series 1, Vol. 25, Part 2, Page 735

War Department, C. S. A
Richmond, Va., April 19, 1863
 
General R. E. Lee
Commanding, etc
 
General,
  Your letter of the 17th instant causes concern and anxiety respecting the sanitary condition of your army, and stimulates the efforts I am earnestly making to increase your supplies of subsistence. I have here with me now, in consultation, Colonel Wadley, the agent of transportation, and to-morrow there will be a meeting of the presidents of the most important railroads, whom I have summoned to confer with me on the best means of improving and increasing the means of railroad transportation. From all that I can learn, I incline to think the difficulty in the past has been as much attributable to want of arrangement and efficiency in the commissariat's agents as in the deficiency of the railroad transportation.
  I have made arrangements from which I have reason to expect the arrival here daily for some weeks to come of 100,000 pounds of bacon, and at that rate supplies must soon so accumulate as to allow the return to the full ration, and at the same time prepare a reserve store, in case of any accident or extraordinary demand. This supply, however, will be drawn from the reserve stores of the commissariat at Atlanta, Ga. In addition, considerable amounts may be expected from the operations of Generals Longstreet and Hill, and from the action of the people In response to the President's proclamation. We have, as I have heretofore mentioned to you, contracts for large supplies from external sources, which should begin to be delivered by May 1. These, in their nature, must be precarious, and I do not, consequently, count too strongly upon them. Altogether, I trust the pinch of the struggle for supplies of your army has been passed, and that our gallant soldiers may soon be freed from the necessity of the privations they have so nobly endured. My own attention is being given to the subject, and no effort certainly will be spared to effect a result so justly due them.
With high esteem, very respectfully, yours
J. A. Seddon
Secretary of War

Home