| Quartermaster General's Department |
| Richmond, Sep. 5, 1863 |
| |
| Mr T. W. Howard |
| Transportation Agent |
| through Cap. McCornich |
| AQM |
| Lynchburg VA |
| |
| Sir, |
| I am in the receipt of your letter of the
30th ultimo, in which you state the circumstances under which you have
shipped to this point, by the Canal, Commissary Stores; and add that you
apprehend that some complaint has been made to this office by the Rail
Road authorities because of the transfer of Government freight to the
Canal. |
| No such complaint has been received here,
nor do I think it probable that any will be. There is certainly no
ground for complaint. There is no stipulation that all Government
freight shall be transported by the Rail Roads to the exclusion of other
facilities; and it would not be judicious to adopt that practice; as
both the Government, and the Rail Road Companies, are interested in
relieving the roads, to any extent that we possibly can, from the
extraordinary wear and tear to which they are subjected. You will
continue, therefore, to use the Canal transports as far as you can to
meet the demands of the public service. |
| A. R. Lawton, Q. M. Genl. |
|