| Transportation Office |
| Selma Ala Dec 20, 1864 |
| |
| Lt Col F. W. Sims Qr Mr |
| & Chief of RRd Bureau |
| |
| Col., |
| Your favor of the 15th ult just received,
and in reply must say that disagree with you in the construction of
Genl Polk's order to Maj Whitfield. He orders him to rebuild the road
and authorizes him to make use of all sorts of Govt property, &
Govt power and authority to execute the order, and all of which were
necessary to that object. The RRoads had nothing and could get nothing
in and of themselves and had no power or authority to get it, and I
cant find in any order of Genl Polk any intimation that the Roads
should pay the expenses of reconstruction; and the very order of itself
carries full evidence that he intended the Govt should pay the
expenses. First He had no power to order the company to rebuild
the road. 2nd When he did order, as he had a right to do, a Govt
officer to do the work how could that order be executed without Govt
money or Govt credit, and Third. The Rail Road officers had positively
refused to rebuild their road, and that from necessity, stating that
"The Govt had suffered the enemy to destroy them & if they
rebuilt them at their own expense the same thing would in all probability,
occur again. That if the Govt would pay the expenses they would do all
in their power with all their available forces to aid in carrying out
the order." And furthermore take away the Govt driving them was
nothing to do and if Govt Polk wanted the road for his own use he must
through his agent rebuild it, then they (the roads) had no use for
them except to serve the Country, and the Country must do the
work, for however much they were disposed they could not do it. |
| These are some thing like the replying of
the Rail Road officers, and Genl Polk as a just man as I knew him to
be gave the order, and knowing him as I did and having had so many
talks with him alone and also with Tate, Whitfield and Genl Polk when
altogether, upon the subject, that I know what was his intention if
the order did not as fully state it as did the order of Genl Maury. |
| The papers herewith returned are as I have
upon which to make a decision that will relieve some of your s??ty of
very heavy responsibility, and I say to you now, candidly, that if it
is decided that all the payments that were performed by me by command
of Lt Genl Polk, are illegal, I would advise the Qr Mr Genl to
commence service against my securities at once for I honestly confess
that I could not pay the debt or even try. |
| I hope that some decision will be made in
the matter. I am daily anxious for the money ??? I am th?? ??? and
when ????? It is a matter of deep regret to all of us here that we
have been so long neglected & left to do public service on private
audit and so many claims returning disapproving the action of the
officer. I really feel that should this matter be disapproved that
with the return paper my order dropping me from the rolls would
accompany them. |
| I am Col Very Respectfully Your |
| Humble obt Sevt |
| Thos. Peters |
| Maj & Q. M. |
| |
| {On back of the letter} |
| Richmond Jany 5/ 1865 |
| Respectfully returned to Major Thomas Pike whose
attention is again called to the order of General Polk of May 19th,
1864 by which he will find the M&Ohio RRd is to pay for the Iron
used in repairing that road, the Conflictary nature of the orders
requires further information before the Govt. can entertain the claim. |
| F W Sims |
| Lt Col & QM |
|