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I have found no personnel file for Captain Robinson in
the National Archives. Entries in blue are references
and my additions.
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Photo from
www.findagrave.com
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John Moncure Robinson was born
in Philadelphia, October 22, 1835, son of Moncure Robinson. He was
educated at the Virginia Military Institute, the Lawrence Scientific
School and Harvard University. After graduating, he continued his
study of civil engineering. His business career started as a
locomotive engineer running from Philadelphia to the Susquehanna
River. His first engineering job was as an official with the Washington
turnpike Company.
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When the War broke out, he was
General Superintendent of the Seaboard & Roanoke RR.
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After the war, he was elected President of
the Seaboard & Roanoke RR and continued in railroading.
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He married Champe Conway in
Richmond in 1864. He died February 14, 1893, in Baltimore.
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Much of the above information,
excluding his wartime service, is taken from his obituary, published
in the New York Times on February 15, 1893.
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| April 27, 1861 |
Passes 2 North
Carolina men to Portsmouth to look for cannon
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| July 13, 1861 |
Accepts part-time
position from Gen. Wise
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| October 14, 1861 |
Tries to buy
supplies from the Superintendent of the Richmond & Petersburg RR
and suggests schedule changes for the winter season.
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| December 13, 1861 |
Was looking for
increased guard for Weldon bridge
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| March 7, 1862 |
Agrees to pay a debt
to the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac RR that his father, a
former official of that company, owed to the company. His father was
living in the North and was considered an alien.
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| March 29, 1862 |
Charge for standby
train
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| April 1, 1862 |
Attended Convention
regarding moving troops in eastern Virginia and North Carolina
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| April 2, 1862 |
Have the cars at
Weldon ready to move at a moments notice
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| April 21, 1862 |
Was requested to
allow his railroad's cars to run through to Goldsboro, rather than
unloading in Weldon.
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| May 1, 1862 |
Secretary of War instructs the movement of
railroad iron away from Norfolk and mentions that Robinson is on
General Loring's staff in Suffolk.
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| May 4, 1862 |
Writes his father
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| May 8, 1862 |
Asks Secretary of War for help evacuating
Norfolk stores
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| May 9, 1862 |
Writes about recent events
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| May 11, 1862 |
Responds to plan to remove Seaboard &
Roanoke RR rails
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| December 15, 1862 |
Arranges troop movement to Richmond
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| January 1, 1863 |
General Sam. Smith reports that he is sending
Capt. Robinson, an engineer on his staff, to Bristol to review the
damage to railroads due to an enemy raid.
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| January 6, 1863 |
Engineer Bureau orders Capt. Robinson, in
Knoxville, to construct defenses for the important railroad bridges in
the area.
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| January 17, 1863 |
Jones gives his plans for keeping Robinson in
his department
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| January 25, 1863 |
Contacts Virginia & Tennessee RR about
building defenses for a bridge
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| January 26, 1863 |
Would be provided funds to build Clinch River
bridge
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| January 27, 1863 |
Endorsement of Engineer Bureau to the Secretary
of War recommending that Capt. Robinson be sent to Europe to buy
supplies as suggested by the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac RR
and for the Engineer Bureau
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| January 29, 1863 |
Ordered to report to the Secretary of War for
special services
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| February 9, 1863 |
Robinson reports to the Board of Directors about
the meetings he has recently had with the Secretaries of War and Navy
about shipping European purchases for the railroads into the
Confederacy. Appears to say that he will meet with President Davis the
next day.
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| February 12, 1863 |
Reports for duty at the Engineer Bureau in
Richmond
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Railroads request Robinson buy supplies for them
while he is in Europe
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| February 16, 1863 |
President of the Richmond, Fredericksburg &
Potomac RR reports to his Board of Directors, with Capt. Robinson
present, that the Seaboard & Roanoke RR will provide some English
funds toward the purchase of supplies for the RF&P RR
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| February 22, 1863 |
Letter of introduction of Capt. Robinson to a
company in London
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| February
26, 1863 |
Power of Attorney and Certificates of Debt
provided him
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Authorized to draw L10,000 from fund in England
for the Engineer Bureau
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List of materials to buy for the Engineer Bureau
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| April 23, 1863 |
Reports his arrival in London
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| April 29, 1863 |
Writes his parents from London
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| May 27, 1863 |
Naval mines materials will be bought in Europe
by Capt. Robinson, who is now in Europe
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| June 15, 1863 |
A letter was
dispatched from the Engineer Bureau to Capt. Robinson, still in
London
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| June 16, 1863 |
Richmond,
Fredericksburg & Potomac RR Board of Directors meetings minutes
detailing problems Capt. Robinson was working on in London
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| July 10, 1863 |
Reported trying to make arrangements to supply
railroads throughout the war
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| August 4, 1863 |
Capt. Robinson dealing with English merchants
and shippers
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| September 6, 1863 |
Approximate date returned to Confederacy from
Bermuda
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| September 18, 1863 |
Reports to Engineer Bureau regarding negotiating
for the railroad in England
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| September
30, 1863 |
Advised to make out his disbursement forms for
his London trip as soon as possible (ie he was back in Richmond)
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President of Richmond, Fredericksburg &
Potomac RR recommends to the Government that Capt. Robinson be sent
back to England to purchase for the other Confederate railroads
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| October 10, 1863 |
Was considered for membership on the Commission
to Remove Iron
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| October 28, 1863 |
Writes Dodamead, as member of Dept. staff,
regarding salt shipments and East Tennessee & Virginia RR rolling
stock control
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| November 6, 1863 |
Directs East Tennessee & Virginia RR Road Master
to take charge of the rolling stock and run it from Bristol
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| November 15, 1863 |
Reports from Tuscaloosa that he has been ill,
but is heading to Richmond to report for duty
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| November 27, 1863 |
Requests a train for troop movement
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| December 9, 1863 |
Receives articles for the repair of the East
Tennessee & Virginia RR
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| December 23, 1863 |
Ordered to return one company of Engineers
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| January 1, 1864 |
Buys lumber and timbers for bridge repairs
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| January
5, 1864 |
Capt. Robinson is back in East Tennessee
repairing railroads
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| January 9, 1864 |
Engineer Bureau gives Capt. Robinson extra funds
for his work in East Tennessee
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| January 13, 1864 |
One East Tennessee railroad bridge is completed
and Capt. Robinson is directed to work on two more
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| January 14, 1864 |
Reports status of bridge repairs
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| January 21, 1864 |
Ordered to give Quartermaster corn preference
over all other freight
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| January 22, 1864 |
Asked if he can inventory stock of East
Tennessee & Virginia RR
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| January 26, 1864 |
Engineer Bureau informs him of arrangements for
paying Acting Engineers
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| January 27, 1864 |
Nails sent to him
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| February 8, 1864 |
Petersburg RR requests he be sent back to
England to buy more RR supplies
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| February 25, 1864 |
Submits claim for expenses in Europe to QMG
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| March 2, 1864 |
Granted the right to buy government shovels
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| March 15, 1864 |
Sent Rives a check for $40,000
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| March
18, 1864 |
Asked if he can
provide a Seaboard & Roanoke RR train to remove iron from the
Rogersville & Jefferson RR
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| Capt. Robinson's
proposed changes to the East Tennessee bridges is approved
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| March 31, 1864 |
Fails to account for
lumber purchased during first quarter (probably for bridge repairs)
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| May 1, 1864 |
Ordered to apply for
permission to go to Richmond (from Dublin, Virginia) and consult
with the Quartermaster General regarding a railroad transportation
matter
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| May 3, 1864 |
Reports too much
corn and Commissary stores at Weldon and Gaston
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| May 5, 1864 |
Reports corn, flour
& mules shipment. Will order trains to Danville as ordered by QMG
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| May 10, 1864 |
Adjutant General to
issue an order to Capt. Robinson directing him to take charge of
railroad transportation between Richmond and Wilmington
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| May 20, 1864 |
Quartermaster
General attempts to locate Capt. Robinson
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| May 28, 1864 |
Requests 10 free
negroes for Wilmington & Weldon RR
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| June 2, 1864 |
Writes QMG about
running a Richmond & York River RR train on Wilmington to Richmond
route
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| Announced in his new
job in the Wilmington newspaper
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| June 3, 1864 |
Writes about family
debt and cost of living
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| June 4, 1864 |
Told to give his
opinions regarding building a Cape Fear River bridge
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| June 5, 1864 |
Asks QM at Weldon
follow his instructions regarding trains to Wilmington
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| June 6, 1864 |
Ordered to keep the
corn moving toward Richmond
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| June 10, 1864 |
Reports on shipments
on Wilmington & Weldon RR during May
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| June 11,
1864 |
Quartermaster
Captain Langdon, at Weldon, N. C., will be governed by Robinson's
orders
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| Offers ideas on
running the Petersburg RR
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| June 14, 1864 |
Shifting traffic to
Weldon and appointing Richmond-to-Weldon through conductor
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| June 16, 1864 |
Questioned about
report that Petersburg RR needs more cars and locomotives
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| June 18, 1864 |
Reported to be
trying to get labor to repair a break in the track toward Richmond
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| Makes proposal on
how to deal with cut of Petersburg RR
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| June 23, 1864 |
May have been sent
to Lee to explain the transportation situation
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| June 24, 1864 |
Endorsement on his
suggestion that negroes working on fortifications be sent to repair
the South Side RR and the Richmond & Danville RR
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| June 25, 1864 |
Recommends labor
force to repair RRs
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| July 4, 1864 |
Given permission to
impress wood for the locomotives hauling government supplies from
Wilmington to Richmond
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| July 6, 1864 |
Status of repairs to
Petersburg RR
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| July 7, 1864 |
In process of
repairing the Petersburg RR
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| July 8, 1864 |
Wilmington & Weldon
RR ask for him to direct things in Wilmington
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| July 10, 1864 |
Reports delay in
full usage of Petersburg RR and its capacity
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| July 11, 1864 |
Reports capacity of
Petersburg RR
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| July 12, 1864 |
Lee's desires and
running trains on Petersburg RR
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| July 15, 1864 |
Lee's Quartermaster
issues instructions regarding shipments from Wilmington and Weldon
to Petersburg
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| August 5, 1864 |
Reports he is
Military Superintendent for 3 RRs from Richmond to Wilmington
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| August 12, 1864 |
Ordered to work with
Capt. E. T. D. Myers to inspect the Virginia Central RR track
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| About August 16,
1864 |
Recommends solution
to weighing shipments on Richmond & Petersburg RR
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| August 19, 1864 |
Told not to return
because of RR damage
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| August 29, 1864 |
Writes regarding
Seaboard & Roanoke RR status and future
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| September 14, 1864 |
Comments on removal
of Seaboard & Roanoke RR iron
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| Reports on repairs
for Wilmington & Weldon RR
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| September 30, 1864 |
Sent to Lee's
Quartermaster to arrange wagon shipment for part of the supply chain
from Wilmington to Petersburg
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| October 5, 1864 |
Reports the danger of
removing all the men from the Petersburg RR
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| October 13, 1864 |
Secures the return
of Petersburg RR employees from the Army to prepare equipment for
removal from Petersburg
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| October 14, 1864 |
QM General forwards
a request for iron for a RR spur at Halifax, N. C.
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| Makes contract with
Sims for CS use of bridge
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| October 25, 1864 |
Informed of movement
of Petersburg RR rolling stock
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| October 27, 1864 |
Sent to Danville to
arrange for more sidings there
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| October 29, 1864 |
QMG informs him that
RRs must provide their own rations
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| November 12, 1864 |
Reports on effect of
manpower shortage for RRs
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| November 19, 1864 |
Forwards request for
a detail for the Petersburg RR
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| November 23, 1864 |
QMG says Norfolk &
Petersburg RR issue has been referred to him
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| November 26, 1864 |
Engineer Bureau
asked for him to check on possible unemployed rail at Statesville
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| November 28, 1864 |
Handed a Sims letter
to Major Branch in Petersburg
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| Will visit Corley
and will need conveyance tomorrow
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| December 19, 1864 |
Reports locomotive
Mars is idle
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| Writes his father,
suggesting starting up a blockade running company
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| December 22, 1864 |
Requests permission
to trade through the lines for RR supplies
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| January 4, 1865 |
Ordered to secure or
impress a locomotive for the Piedmont RR
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| January
10, 1865 |
Reports condition of
Petersburg RR rolling stock
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| Reports the value of
a locomotive
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| January 11, 1865 |
Ordered to move
Virginia Central RR iron promptly
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| January 12, 1865 |
His report on the
rolling stock of the Petersburg RR forwarded to Lee
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| January 18, 1865 |
Ordered to
Wilmington immediately to supervise removal of Government stores
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| Ordered to provide
transportation at Goldsboro, N. C.
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| January 26, 1865 |
Informed that a
Petersburg RR locomotive will be ready shortly and will be at a certain station
and available for rent by the Richmond & Petersburg RR;
was with the Quartermaster General
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| March 9, 1865 |
Requests permission
to trade cotton for RR supplies
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| March 11, 1865 |
Secretary of War
reports to Lee that Robinson and Carrington have stopped trains to
Lee and asks for instructions
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| March 14, 1865 |
Is mentioned as
knowing about the trains needed to convey prisoners
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| March 16, 1865 |
Horses were ordered
to be sent to him by road and train
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| March 18, 1865 |
Asks Lee's
headquarters for instructions on what to do with the 19 locomotives
and 150 cars on roads that will be cut off if Raleigh falls. Signs
as Military Superintendent of Railroads
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Sharp told to contact Robinson for labor
assistance
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| March 20, 1865 |
Reported on providing labor for gauge change
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Is included in creating a plan to remove the
wounded by way of the North Carolina RR
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| March 21, 1865 |
Reports that three railroads will not be able to
assist Capt. Thomas R. Sharp
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| March 22, 1865 |
Provides rolling stock to Smithfield, N. C.
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| March 23, 1865 |
Instructed on when to remove trains west of
Raleigh
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| March 25, 1865 |
Ordered to remove supplies from Goldsboro as
fast as possible
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Asks for instructions about removing supplies
and whether to risk rolling stock
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