| Richmond, December 12, 1861 |
| |
| Hon. J. P. Benjamin |
| Secretary of War |
| |
| Sir, |
| I have the honor to
acknowledge the reference to this office for the required report of
a resolution of the Congress requesting the Secretary of War to
report to that body "the number of guns which have been
transported to Texas for the defense of the coast of that State, the
cost of such transportation, and what would have been the cost had a
railroad from New Iberia, in Louisiana, to Orange, in Texas, been
completed." The number of guns forwarded from Richmond was as
follows: 10-inch columbiads, smooth-bore, 4; 8-inch columbiads,
smooth bore, 2; 8-inch columbiads, rifled, 1. In addition there were
also sent from the Baton Rouge arsenal 10-inch columbiads,
smooth-bore, 1; 32-pounder guns, 4; making in all 12 guns which have
been transported to Texas for the defense of the coast of that
State. With them was also sent 557 round shot and 1,100 shell of
different caliber. The whole cost of the transportation of these
guns and projectiles to Galveston has not been reported, but I am
informed by the mover of the resolution in Congress that the
statements particularly requested from the Department relate to the
cost of transportation from New Orleans to Niblett's Bluff, on the
Sabine River, which is reported to have been $29,000. The route by
which they were transported, viz, by the Mississippi to the mouth of
Red River, thence to Alexandria, and from that point by land to
Niblett's Bluff, on the Sabine, was difficult and circuitous; but it
was necessarily adopted, as because of danger of capture they could
not be forwarded by the Gulf, nor could they be sent to Berwick, and
thence to New Iberia, and thence across to Niblett's Bluff, because
the whole country was submerged and transportation was absolutely
impossible. If a railroad from New Iberia to Orange had been
completed the guns, &c., could have been sent from New Orleans
to Brashear or Berwick, thence by the Bayou Teche to New Iberia, and
from that place by rail to Orange. Of course the cost of
transportation by this route cannot be ascertained with precision,
but assuming the charges to be nearly the same as those agreed upon
by railroad companies in other parts of the Confederacy for the
transportation of Government freights, viz, 20 cents per 100 pounds
per 100 miles for guns and round shot, and 45 cents per 100 pounds
per 100 miles for shells, an approximate estimate can be made. The
following tables show the weights of the guns and shells: |
|
Pounds |
| Five
10-inch columbiads |
14,000 |
70,000 |
| Two
8-inch columbiads |
9,000 |
18,000 |
| One
8-inch columbiad |
9,300 |
9,300 |
| Four
32-pounder guns |
7,200 |
28,800 |
| Showing
the aggregate weight of the guns to be |
126,000 |
| 557
round shot, in the aggregate, weigh |
64,410 |
| 1,100
shell, in the aggregate, weigh |
97,450 |
|
| |
| The distance from New
Orleans to Orange is about 284 miles, but it may be assumed to be
300 miles in round numbers. At the rates above stated the aggregate
cost of transportation for that distance of the twelve guns and the
round shot would be $1,143.06; the aggregate cost of transporting
shell, &c., $1,315.57, showing the probable cost by this route
to be $2,458.63. It is proper to repeat that the foregoing estimates
are only approximate, but it is believed that they approach
sufficiently near to an accurate statement to meet the inquiry of
Congress. |
| A. C. Myers |
| Acting Quartermaster General |
|