| Quarter Master General |
| Richmond, Dec. 23d 1863 |
| |
| Cap. C. H. Rhett |
| AQM |
| Newberry S. C. |
| |
| Sir, |
| Your letters of the 16th and
18th instants have been received. |
| The rule in the cases to which you refer is, that the
officer to whom stores are consigned, when furnished with the Rail Road
receipts, or bills of lading, receipt according to the certified
invoices of the shipping officers. If the stores do not correspond in
amount and quality with the invoices, the deficiency will be ascertained
by a board of survey, whose finding will protect the officer receipting,
for such portion of the shipment as may have been lost or destroyed
while in transitu. If it be not possible to convene a board of
survey, its place may be supplied by the certificates of other officers,
or the affidavits of disinterested persons. |
| This course is necessary for the protection
of the shipping officer, as he would be unable to relieve himself from
the whole amount of his invoice by the action of a board of survey at
the point of destination, nor could he ascertain so readily as the
consignee, the particular Rail Road, or other carrier, upon whom
responsibility for the value of lost property should be devolved. |
| A. R. Lawton, Q. M. Genl. |
| |
| {Similar letters were sent to
Major E. A. Banks, Canton, Miss., Major E. Powell, Selma, Ala. and Capt.
C. W. Styron, Wilmington, N. C.} |
|