| July 22, 1864 |
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| Maj. Gen. Samuel Jones
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| Commanding, Charleston, S. C. |
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| General, |
| I am in receipt of your telegram of
yesterday stating that you had given the necessary orders for
removing the iron from the Florida Railroad; that you would endeavor
to satisfy the Governor of Florida, &c. |
| It is considered a matter of great
importance to secure an early completion of the connection between
the Georgia and Florida roads {the Live Oak
& Lawton RR}. Indeed the Government agrees with me fully
that it is a military necessity. It is believed that a full and
candid letter to His Excellency the Governor, setting forth the
imperative wants of the Government, will remove all danger of a
collision between the forces under your command and the civil
authorities, and at the same time avoid all delay in the prosecution
of the work.
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| I have conferred with the Secretary of
War on the subject, and he relies fully upon [you] to accomplish the
desired work. He wishes that steps be taken at once in the courts of
Florida to secure a dissolution of the injunction; to this end he
has directed the commissioners for the distribution and collection
of iron to employ competent counsel to go to Florida to attend to
the case. The lawyer employed will be requested to go by Charleston
and confer with you. Please furnish him all the facts of the case,
especially as to the basis on which the military necessity exists,
as it will be necessary for him to go into the court fully prepared
to meet all points. I am informed that the road will be completed
without difficulty in September, if the necessary amount of iron be
obtained. We cannot get it from any other road. The contractors
employed on the road are known to me to be energetic men, and sure
to do their work if supported by the Government. |
| Major-General Anderson being personally
known in Florida, can, it is thought, do much to forward the work,
and at the same time avoid conflict of authority. |
| I am, general, respectfully, &c., |
| J. F. Gilmer |
| Major-General, &c. |
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