| Hdqrs. Dept. of S. Carolina, Georgia, and Florida |
| Charleston, S. C. |
| February 18, 1864
|
| |
| General S. Cooper |
| Adjutant and Inspector General |
| Richmond |
| |
| General, |
| Recent events and the present state of
affairs in East Florida induce me to address the Department and
invoke attention to the urgent military importance of constructing a
railroad connection between the Savannah
and Albany
(Georgia) Road {the
Savannah, Albany & Gulf RR} and the road from Jacksonville
to Tallahassee {the Pensacola & Georgia RR
and the Florida, Atlantic & Gulf Central RR}. |
| The distance of the road to be built and
the practicability at this time, as well as all matters involved,
will be found fully set forth in two communications from Maj. Henry
Bryan, with inclosures, forwarded through these headquarters, the
one on the 26th February and the other the 19th March, 1863. |
| Had this road been completed at present
as suggested re-enforcements could have been thrown to the aid of
General Finegan with such celerity as to lead to signal results. |
| I need not dwell upon the present
importance of the meat and other subsistence resources of Florida,
and a glance at W. Alvin Floyd's Southern Railroad Map, recently
published, will show the value of such a road in the defense of that
region. |
| Respectfully, your obedient servant, |
| G. T. Beauregard |
|