| From the Jacksonville (Ala.) Republican |
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| June 5, 1862 |
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| Georgia and Alabama Railroad |
| We verily believe that there does not exist a greater
military necessity than the construction of a Railroad from Rome,
Georgia to Jacksonville, Ala. No one will doubt the truth of this
proposition who will take the trouble to look on the map of the country.
The road would have been built before this time, by private enterprise,
but for the war. For the want of money, the project was temporarily
abandoned several months ago. The road is almost graded, and the bridges
completed for twelve or fifteen miles on the route. |
| From Rome to Jacksonville it is only 50 miles. The cars
from Selma are now running to within 10 miles of Jacksonville, and we
learn the road will be completed to that place in a few weeks. If the
line were extended across the little gap between Rome and Jacksonville
there would be a new and unbroken link from one extreme almost of the
Confederacy to the other. |
| Our enemy are making no greater efforts than to get
possession of our line of railroads, nor are we defending anything with
more obstinacy. Therefore we say the road from Jacksonville to Rome,
yes, and from Rome to Dalton, Ga., ought to be completed immediately and
that too by the Confederate Government, which could be finished in two
or three months. If this were done, we would have an entire inland
route, out of reach of the Yankees. |
| The increased amount of transportation of troops and
stores of the Government has led to pay by the way of Mobile, would more
than have completed the road by this route, to say nothing of the far
greater loss of sugar, molasses, &c., for the want of transportation
from New Orleans and Memphis. |
| Will not the friends of the enterprise at Dalton, Rome
and Jacksonville make some effort to bring the subject before the
Government at Richmond? The urgent necessity for the completion of the
work can be easily shown. |
| Rome Southerner |
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