| Quartermaster General's Department |
| Richmond, March 9th, 1864 |
| |
| Lt. Genl. Longstreet |
| Commander etc |
| Greenville, Tenn. |
| |
| General, |
| I have had the honor to receive your note
of the 5th ins. and reply without delay, fully realizing the
importance of, & sympathizing with, the views you entertain as to
the importance of the campaign soon to open, it is painful to me to
feel conscious that this Dept. cannot accommodate such supplies
as will place our armies in the field under the most favored
circumstances. I am willing to be stimulated to the discharge of my
duties to the full extent; & especially General, by one who has so
much at heart the true interests of the country as yourself. As our
objects are the same, I trust our conclusions will not differ, when
they are based upon the facts of the case. |
| I confess, that I was not a little
disconcerted when I first learned that it was necessary to ship corn
to your command. This corn practically comes from Geo. whether sent
from a depot in Virginia or not for Va. is out of corn,
except to a limited extent. Last year at this time, no corn was
brought to Va. from any point beyond N. C., & the army was
subsisted on wheat flour. Now nearly all the corn used for
horses is brought from Geo. & the Subsistence Dept. has consumed
all the flour, & rely upon corn to be ground into meal for the bread
of the army. To supply all this, will require all the available
rolling stock of all the roads between this & Georgia without
allowing for the frequent disturbance caused by the movements of
troops, & raids of the enemy etc. |
| You perceive therefore, what a task there
is before us, and how impossible it is to accumulate supplies
at points so distant (by circular Railroads) from the point of
production. Supplies of forage, to a limited extent, are now going
forward to you; but I replied to your dispatch in such plain terms,
because I feared you might be deceived as to our ability to accomplish
what you desire. |
| If the passenger trains are all stopped,
what becomes of the furloughed soldiers, conscripts etc. coming into
the army every day by hundreds. I thank you General for writing to me
freely I will always be pleased to hear from you & will respond to
your calls whenever it is possible. |
| A. R. Lawton, Q. M. Genl. |
|