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Below are pages 3 and 4 of a letter found in the
National Archives in Lt. Col. Sims' file. I have included it here to
show the effort the railroad rate issue consumed. From the contents of
the letter, I believe it was written by Major Sims to his superior to
explain why railroad rates needed to be clarified. The date is only a
guess and may be changed if I find good information on the dates of
events in the letter.
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| On the 15th Decm 1862 another
Rail Road convention was held in Augusta Georgia which adopted a Tariff
advancing the rates on both Freights and Troops. This Tariff has never
been accepted or recognized by me. It is submitted herewith and
marked D {not located}. |
| A convention of Virginia Rail Roads was
held in this city some two or three months ago which passed
resolutions in favor of increasing the rates on transportation
generally, but without indicating any p?? Tariff. There resolutions
were communicated to me by Mr. Fontaine the Chairman of the convention
and the President of the Va Central R Road. Some weeks subsequently
Mr. Fontaine made application to me in behalf of his particular
company (The Va Central) for increased rates and accompanied his
application with a table of the specifics rates desired. I referred
both of his communications to Col W. M. Wadley. They were recently
returned to me with an endorsement signed by Col Wadley A. A. G. This
endorsement allowing certain specific rates, I embodied in a
communication to Lt Col Lumkin Smith (who pays the Rail Roads in this
vicinity) on the 24th inst. Col Smith being in doubt as to whether Col
Wadley's endorsement was designed to confer the allowances of in??
rates to the Va Central Road -- or whether it was meant to include all
the Virginia Roads, or to be intended to all Rail Roads in the
Confederate States -- has written to Col Wadley, by my ???, for
information on the subject. I herewith enclose a copy of my letter to
Col Smith together with a copy of his communication to Col Wadley --
marked E {not located}. |
| One other arrangement remains to be
mentioned. On the 15th April Dr. Hawkins President of Raleigh &
Gaston R Road Company wrote to Major Chas S. Carrington, Quarter
Master, asking an increase of rates. Major Carrington enclosed his
letter to me. Upon the exhibits made I wrote to Major Carrington in
approval of these rates. Major Carrington enclosed my letter approving
them together with Dr Hawkins' letter ??nating them, to Lt Col Smith
on 20th April 1863. As it appeared uncertain whether the rates in
question were applicable to Forage only, or to all freights --
and whether they are allowed to particular Roads or to all the Roads
in Virginia and North Carolina -- and as to the previous dates on
which they are to take affect -- copies of all the paper have been
enclosed to Major Carrington at Raleigh N C, accompanied by a letter
asking the needful information. There has been no settlement either
under this arrangement or under that mentioned in connection with Col
Wadley (see package marked F {not
located}. |
| It is not in my powers to state the
relation that exists between the Columbia rates (at which Rail Road
accounts are settled) and the rates proscribed by the |