| C. S. Armory |
| Macon, Ga January 2nd 1863 |
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Brig Genl H. W. Mercer |
| Comdg C S Forces |
| Savannah Ga |
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| General, |
| A. E. Cochran Esq. President of the Macon
& Brunswick R. R. Co. has informed me that you have seized, for the
purposes of the Government, about one hundred tons of Rail Road Iron at
Darien Ga., the property of the above named company, and which is now
needed by them to complete about one and a half miles of track, which
will extend the line of travel to large steam saw mills in a finely
timbered country. |
| Being charged with the erection of
extensive public works in Macon of a permanent character, I shall
require large supplies of lumber and I greatly desire to avail myself of
the source of supply indicated above. It has occurred to me that, in
view of this fact the iron you have seized would be as useful to the
Govt if used to complete the track of the M&B RR to the point I refer
to, as it would be if made other use of. At the same time I confess
ignorance of your necessities and consequently must allow you to decide
the point. |
| I am however quite of the view that in the
event of the iron in question not being urgently required by you,
the interests of the Govt. would be promoted by your allowing the before
mentioned Co. to have the iron, on the condition that they would use it
for the purpose of completing the line of their railway to the mills of
Messrs Delettre & Dykes within the next six weeks, which I understand Mr
Cochran to be willing to undertake to do. |
| I have the honor to be General |
| Respectfully Your obdt servt |
| Jas H. Burton |
| Supt. of Armories C. S. A. |