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Augusta 5 Feb 65
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| His Excellency |
| Joseph E Brown |
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| Sir, |
| Things are turning out here as I
anticipated. To do things in time seems to be a hard lesson to learn.
All the QM & Corn stores have been removed except 36 or 8 hundred
sacks of Salt, for which no call for cars had been made until I heard
of the salt, & enquired if it was not to be sent off. We had then
only 2 flat cars on hand, which were loaded last night. The balance
may, & probably will be lost if the enemy are as near at hand as
is supposed, as I had placed one engine & 9 cars (flats) to work
for the Geo hauling iron & lumber. They can now be loaded however
with salt, if the proper officer will do it & risk rain. For days
these cars stood idle, having nothing to haul, when every sack of salt
might have been taken away. I am out of all patience with QMr &
Com. officials. This morning Genl Hill took possession of Geo Road
& Stock, & stopd one of my trains from going out and took the
names of 5 engines & ??? of all the car. I have here with
intention to remove the families on the dirt and employ the stock for
Confd purposes. I of course protested against any such proceedings,
denied his right to interfere with your orders to me; when he finally
agreed to relinquish my stock & let the train then ready to move
go on. I shall do all I can to get everything we have here away by
Tuesday night, but fear the enemy may be upon jus before that time.
They are now no doubt in possession of the road between this &
Branchville {on the South Carolina RR},
and our forces will make but a feeble resistance any where. We have no
head to our small force that the soldier has confidence in, & it
is but little better than a rabble. Broad street is becoming a cotton
yard preparatory to burning, none can now be removed, as the military
has control of the Road. When too late, many would give 1/3 or 1/4 of
their cotton to have it removed. I shall remain until our last car is
off, unless the enemy gets in sight. |
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Yrs truly
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| Geo D Phillips {Superintendent,
Western & Atlantic RR} |
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