| Wilmington & Weldon Railroad Co. |
| Office Engineer and Superintendent |
| Wilmington, February 4th 1862 |
| |
| Hon J. P. Benjamin |
| Secretary of War |
| |
| Sir, |
| It becomes my unpleasant duty
to call your attention to the conduct of some of your volunteer
commanders. |
| The frequent interference by
such officers with the movement of our trains renders duty of making
this report imperative. |
| In removing the battalion of
Col. W. H. Green from this place to Portsmouth en route for Roanoke
Island he, Col Green, compelled the train of this Road to proceed on to
Portsmouth without any notice to the trains on that Road and with an
Engineer and Conductor that knew nothing of the "time tables" or
necessary information of that Road and the running of its trains. |
| Fortunately the train that I
had telegraphed for to meet this command at Weldon was met at a station
eighteen miles from Weldon! Had these trains met in a curve both engines
would have been ruined & many cars would have been destroyed. And all
this risk for nothing! |
| I had taken the precaution,
knowing the Quartermaster would not do his duty, to telegraph to
Portsmouth to have a train from that Road ready at Weldon for them. An
accident to the wires delayed its dispatch several hours, so that the
train was not yet at Weldon when my train arrived. |
| In addition to the danger
of this interference this frequent repetition materially cripples
our means for the prompt dispatch of freight. |
| In this operation without any
necessity for it a number of freight cars of this Road are now in
Portsmouth. |
| I feel it to be a duty to the
Confederate Government as well as to the Railroads generally to state
these facts. |
| There never was a time when it
was so important as it is at this moment to preserve our machinery in
good order. By great vigilance and strict accountability on the part of
employees I have been enabled to maintain the machinery of this Road in
good order. I have many times felt that the hand of God was in it.
Without His wonderful interposition we must have been crippled by such
volunteer colonels, as Green, Clingman and others whose great
judgment has been shown in directing the seizure of railroad trains. |
| I therefore beg you will
invoke the authority of the Commander-in-Chief to put a stop to such
orders in future. |
| No one hereabouts but is ready
and willing to aid in every movement to the full extent of his ability,
and if the Superintendents of the several Rail Road lines are not the
best judges of the times & methods of sending out their trains,
then do appoint a Brigadier General to manage them. Do not let
every Colonel Lt. Colonel or Major take it upon himself to direct their
movements & sacrifice us to no purpose. |
| I am very respectfully |
| Your obt Servt |
| S. L. Fremont |
| Chf Engr & Supt. |
| |
| PS I enclose the conductors Report of this
trip {not found} |