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Confederate States, Quartermaster's Department
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| Railroad Bureau |
| Richmond, Febry 27th 1864 |
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| Brig Genl. A. R. Lawton |
| Q. M. G. |
| |
| General, |
| All railroad experience has proven the bad
policy of permitting cars from leaving the owning road, even in peace
when they could be quickly replaced at a small cost the plan of
running through cars was only adopted to meet some temporary
emergency, and not in my recollection has any permanent arrangement
been made for interchange of cars without causing great destruction of
property and ill feeling between the companies intrusted. The reasons
are obvious why this should always occur. Cars need constant attention
and repairing which none but owners will give them. A want of proper
greasing, which surely happens with cars away from home, causes
friction which in a short time renders them unfit to run. An
imperceptible injury may culminate in accident on a road that should
bear no blame for it. But aside from these objections which occur with
the interested Superintendents when each is equally energetic and
honest in his instructing them is the much graver objection always
raised that when cars go on foreign roads they receive no attention
whatever and if an accident happens to them it is never repaired until
taken home by the owner. To show you how this system puts cars out of
existence, two years ago the Confederacy owned 200 cars, today there
is not 100 of them in existence and this too without any loss having
occurred in one year. In my own experience a loss of 40 cars occurred
on the Geo. Central RRd by an interchange of cars and the system was
finally abandoned as impracticable. The Montgomery & West Point
RRd has done more work in proportion to its equipment and is in better
order, considering its advantages, than any road in the Confederacy
resulting from the fact that its cars cannot get off its road because
of a break of guage at each end. No body takes care of a car like its
owner and I am utterly opposed to any arrangement that contemplates a
removal from under this watchful eye. It was tried fairly in the
beginning of the war and worked disastrously, why should we repeat our
misfortune? So firmly convinced was my predecessor, Col. W. M. Wadley
(by common consent the best Railroad manager in the Confederacy) of
the destruction consequent upon interchanging cars that he
discontinued it in every particular, and even went so far as to
dispose of, to the several RRd Co's, all the cars owned by Govt. If
the work we have before us will be to aid in a few months the destruction
of cars would be as nothing compared to the ends to be attained, but
will the uncertainty upon us there surely can be no doubt as to the
policy of economizing them, even if it should deprive us of some
temporary advantage. We may struggle along with the present equipment
and live, but if it is diminished these same are ??able probability of
its being received, and the contemplation of any further diminution is
trouble indeed. |
| While I am opposed to taking cars away
from owning roads, yet the emergency of the country presses upon us
the necessity that Govt should own a supply of cars even with the
probability of their suffering from neglect. These cars should be
built by Govt and suited to the guage 4' 8 1/2". We should have
not less than 200 in constant repair and if the proper facilities, of
men and material are sufficient and I believe in some months all this
number will be at work, some of course much service, but the entire
200 in that time. These cars should ply between Charlotte, and
Wilmington, and Richmond. To see that they are not unnecessarily
detained the transportation agents at the several points where they
would go from one road into the possession of another, should take an
acct of them by their numbers and on the delivering and charge the
receiving road. It should also {line missing on
the fold} examined for breaks and for
greasing. A repair shop should be sent the ??? of the agents as to
receipt and the ????? cars retained too long to bring the
de????? |
| This is a brief outline of the plan which
provides that ????? security to Govt. property and would accomplish
????? running cars through. ????? first outlay would be going bu?????
cost of transportation a f????? |
| The question is specifically one of ?????
the Govt. control both at ????? |
| I am General |
| Very respectfully |
| Your obdt svt |
| F. W. Sims |
| Lt. Col. & Q. M. |
| {the missing words in the last
three paragraphs are due to bleeding through of the endorsement and
file material on the reverse of the last page} |
| 1st March '64 |
| Respectfully referred to the Secy
of War in connection with a former communication from Col. Sims as to
the capacity of the shops at Petersburg, & the pressing demands for
mechanics. I see no other method of securing the necessary
transportation for the food & forage of our army, and every day's
delay is dangerous. |
| A. R. Lawton |
| Qr. Mr. Genl. |
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