| Agency Navy Department |
| Wilmington N. C. Novt. 24th 1863 |
| |
| Thos D Walker Esqr |
| President W. & M. R. R.
{Wilmington & Manchester RR} |
| Wilmington |
| |
| Sir, |
| I addressed you on the 21st Octo last
requesting to be informed by you of arrivals, from time to time, of
cotton for Navy Department. You replied that, "Owing to the pressure
of Government freight upon us we have to unload those trains the
same night of their arrival" in order to be "loaded up on early
morning for giving the necessary dispatch to these government
freight and you referred me to the Column "Daily Journal" for "the
arrival of trains" with names of the Consignees." |
| Your reply to mine of the 21st Ulto is
dated the day after. I have, from time to time, carefully referred
to the source of information indicated and have rarely seen the name
of the Agent of the Navy Department among the list of published
Consignees. I referred to you published list of arrivals of cotton
on the 22d inst and became appraised of the arrival here of upwards
of five hundred bales of private cotton distributed among no less
than eight consignees, among them, agents and owners of steamers and
merchants of the city, but not a bale for the government. |
| I call your attention to the fact, that,
this Agency has had cotton on the line of the road under your
charge, waiting transportation here since the early days of
September last. And, subsequent to the date of your reply to me more
than a month ago, there have been shipped to this port on Navy
Account upwards of sixteen hundred bales of cotton. At portion of
this has been on the line of your road, at Kingsville for some tie,
awaiting transportation. This has been reported to your agent at
Kingsville, who replied that he had no control over the matter and
that it was regulated at Wilmington. Orders are given, I am
informed, by Mr Drain the Superintendent, to your agents, directing
what and whose freight to bring to this port. |
| In view of these facts and of the very
pertinent one to which I have already alluded, that upwardly of five
hundred bales of cotton came here on the 22d instant for eight
private consignees and not a bale for the government, which has had
and has now cotton on the line of your road, as I have represented.
I request your attention to the matter complained of and hope you
will at once apply the appropriate remedy. |
| This Agency has an abundant supply of
cotton in the interior to meet the important demands upon it for
shipments to Europe. And unless facilities are afforded its agent,
equal at least to those granted to private parties, the object of
the government in the establishment of this Agency, at this port
must be continuously clogged if not defeated. |
| Unless therefore, some remedy is applied
to remove the existing embarrassments to which the Agency of the
Navy Department here is subjected, it will become the duty of its
agent to lay the fact, before that Department of the Navy. |
| I am Sir Very respectfully |
| Yr obt svt |
| Wm H Peters |
| Agt Navy Department |
| |
| Agency Navy Department |
| Wilmington N C Nov 24 1863 |
| |
| Thos D Walker Esqr |
| Prest W. & M. R. R. |
| Wilmington |
| |
| Sir, |
| Since my communication of this morning I
have observed in the "Daily Journal" that four hundred ninety two
bales of cotton are reported as having arrived on the 23d instant
consigned to A S Crews & Co. of this city; and show not a bale for
the Government. Indeed, these published reports are of so uniform a
character that one might be lead to infer there was some method in
this delivery much of cotton arrivals, not at all contemplated by
the Department of the Government which I am representing; for, upon
??? to a letter to the Hon. Secretary of the Navy, bearing date the
4th September last, he says, ??? in speaking of the transportation
of Government cotton "It must take precedence of all private cotton
over all rail roads," a rule, which, according to the public here
reports to which you refer me, seems to have been reversed. |
| I am very respectfully |
| Yr obt st |
| Wm H Peters |
| Agt Navy Dept |
|