Dalton, February 10, 1864
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| His Excellency Joseph E. Brown |
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| Governor
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| I have delayed thanking you for your
letter of January 29, in the hope of receiving favorable
intelligence in relation to the rollingstock of the State which had
been removed by military authority. None positive has yet reached
me, however, Major Goodwin, of the quartermaster's department, who
was sent to Mississippi for the purpose, reports that a large number
of cars have been brought out by him, among them twenty-five of
yours. |
| The Quartermaster-General informed me
that the trains sent east of the Savannah River were not, as had
been reported to me, employed in the transportation of cotton, but
of provisions for the Army of Virginia, and that they are absolutely
necessary for that object. |
| The chief quartermaster of this army
reports that since the middle of January the trains on the road
between this point and Atlanta have been run regularly, bringing to
us without delay in Atlanta all our stores received at that place. |
| I have applied to General Beauregard to
permit engines and cars of the Macon and Savannah road {the
Central (of Georgia) RR} to be lent to transport forage to us
to Atlanta. The transportation of long forage is our greatest
difficulty. |
| One of our quartermasters, who is a
railroad engineer, thinks that the performance of this road might be
greatly increased by a change of the running schedule of the freight
trains, such as to require them to run at night. He says that the
trains from Dalton, after reaching Atlanta, remain there thirty-six
hours, when twelve would be a sufficient time. |
| I thank Your Excellency for the
intention you express of issuing orders to your troops to assist us
in bringing back to the ranks deserters and other absentees. Those
orders I doubt not will be very efficacious, and restore many men to
their regiments. |
| Most respectfully, your obedient servant, |
| J. E. Johnston |
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