| Head Quarters 3d Brigade Dept of Norfolk |
| Suffolk, Va. May 12th 1862 |
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I hereby certify that Major Geo. W. Grice A. Q. M. used
every possible effort to save the Government Stores in his charge
and keeping previous to the evacuation of Portsmouth; that he
frequently consulted with me on the subject, and did every thing
that a persevering and indefatigable business man could do to
procure Rail Road Cars or other means of transportation without
success or the sacrifice of stores of far greater value than those
in his keeping. We saved a large amount of ammunition and ordnance
stores, which, but for his efforts, would have been lost, and with
his teamsters moved from Fort Nelson, loaded on the cars and thus
saved one of the "Belgian guns, with carriage, ammunition,
&c., which would themselves have fallen into the hands of the
enemy.
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| In my opinion Major Grice cannot be held
responsible for the Quartermasters stores lost in the evacuation of
Portsmouth. After finding it was impossible to remove them, he, by
my order, turned them over to the Mayor & City Council for
distribution among the families of the volunteers in service, and
the poor of the city; and I have since learned that they were so
distributed. |
| Albert G Blanchard |
| Brig Genl P. A. C. S. |
| Comg 3d Brigade |
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