| Confederate States of America |
| War Department |
| Richmond Va. November 15th 1863 |
| |
| James E. Allen Esq. |
| Supt. Chatham RR |
| North Carolina |
| |
| Sir, |
| Your application for a protection of the
supplies purchased & to be purchased for the Agents &
employees of the Chatham R. R. has been received together with a
letter from Gov: Vance on the same subject. The importance of your
work is properly appreciated. The act of Congress relative to
impressment and the regulation of the Department for its execution
provide that "No officer or Agent shall impress the necessary
supplies which any person may have for the consumption of
himself, his family, employees, or slaves or to carry on his
ordinary mechanical manufacturing or agricultural employments."
Under the protection of the law & regulations your company would
come in the same manner as a natural person. What are necessary
supplies should a dispute arise would be settled by the provisions
of the 7th section of the act of Congress, that is by arbitrators
appointed, one by the impressing officer & one by yourselves,
with power to select an umpire. The Department supposes that this
law and these regulations are adequate to afford protection and does
not issue protections for individual cases, or to allay
apprehensions that the officers authorized to impress will not obey
the law. When a case of illegal impressment is brought to its notice
it interposes to have the law and regulations fulfilled. |
| Very respectfully |
| Your obdt servt |
| James A. Seddon |
| Secretary of War |
|