| Demopolis 4th Oct 1864 |
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| Mr. A. L. Maxwell |
| Macon Georgia |
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| Sir, |
| I have telegraphed & written to you
several times since you were here urging the necessity of your presence
at the work of Tombigbee bridge {Alabama &
Mississippi Rivers RR} and telling you how badly the work was
going on, but have received no reply. The river is now 12 or 15 feet
above low water & still raining and I greatly fear the piers cannot be
put in till next summer. Had you been present from the inception of the
work as stipulated in the contract I am satisfied this failure would not
have occurred. I have urged upon Barker for three months passed to
devote every energy to getting in the foundations, warning of the danger
of delay, but he has paid no attention to it, but has expended the labor
he had at command upon objects that might have been deferred till the
piers were up. He is pursuing the same course now. He has one of the
best carpenters (the one he expects to make the patterns) at $12 or $15
per day buying commissaries. I have spoken to him a dozen times & urged
him to set him to making the patterns but not lick has been made on
them. Why this persistent neglect or refusal I cannot understand. |
| He has one carpenter & 4 negroes tinkering
(I say tinkering because they were hacking or standing lazily about) on
a smith ship, one making shelves, making a rake, when every effort
should be directed to the preparation of the cribs & piers & piling
formations on each bank, so that we may be prepared to take advantage of
low water should it come again this fall. I found at the camp yesterday
17 negroes men & 3 women who with exception of 4 sick & the three women
cooks, should have been at work. The framing of the cribs is just now
finished & since you left, only one train of lumber, say 20000 feet has
been delivered and thus the work is going. But thus it must go no longer
& I insist upon your immediate return to the works. I hope Mr Maxwell,
you will not longer refuse to do that which your contract requires you
to do & which the great interest of this work requires you should do at
once. Since 21 March you have visited the work once & spent about one
week in ten days on it. It is now time you come to it and remain on it. |
| Respectfully |
| Minor Meriwether |
| Lt Col Engineers |
|