| Office Commissary of Subsistence |
| Charleston, October 29, 1863 |
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| Maj. H. C. Guerin |
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Chief of Subsistence, Charleston
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| Sir,
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| In obedience to instructions contained
in your letter of the 16th instant, "to proceed without delay
to inquire into the cause of the shipments of cattle from Florida
for this post having ceased, and, if possible, to have them
immediately resumed," I proceeded to Florida, and, having
discharged that duty, respectfully submit the following report: |
| When I entered the State of Florida I
proceeded directly to Quincy, to see Maj. P. W. White, chief
commissary for that State. *** From him, I was pleased to learn that
the apparent cessation of our supply of beef-cattle was not
attributable to the presence in that State (as you had feared) of
officers from General Bragg's army, but sprung from other causes,
over which Major White had no control. It is proper to mention here
that Major White is a recent appointment, and it devolved upon him
to organize the administration of his entire department, under
recent acts of Congress relating to taxes in kind, impressments,
&c. This organization was not complete, and the new officers
entered upon the discharge of their several duties when General
Bragg's army was thrown on him for a supply of beef, and the only
wonder is that he has been enabled, under all the circumstances, to
accomplish so much. The requisition for cattle for General Bragg's
army is to the requisition for General Beauregard's army in this
State as two are to one, and Major White at once ordered all
district commissaries to ship one-third of their purchases to
Charleston and two-thirds to Atlanta. These instructions have been
carried out in good faith by the district commissaries, so far as I
could learn, and one-third of the whole number of cattle collected
in the State has been sent to this post. That the number received
has not been larger is owing to several causes. First, the cattle,
which in the spring and early summer months are to be found in large
herds, are at this season scattered, and, singly or two and three
together, have gone deep into the swamps, whence it is almost
impossible to drive them. Secondly, the details of cow drivers, long
since asked for from General Bragg's army, have until very recently
been disregarded, if not positively refused, and parties
unacquainted with the cattle-ranges have been found of little use in
hunting them up and driving them out. Thirdly, all the water courses
have been much swollen, and a large portion of the flat lands of
Southern and Lower Eastern Florida has been inundated to such an
extent that it was almost impossible to drive the cattle from the
best cattle region of the State. Particularly was this the case in
the country lying along Kissimmee River, and Kissimmee and
Okeechobee Lakes, and their tributaries and outlets. Some of these
obstacles are now partially removed, large details of cow-drivers
having come on from General Bragg's army, and the water having begun
to subside, so that we may expect the supply soon to become regular
for the balance of the season. For our present necessities, I have
to report 300 head at Stockton ({Station} No.
13, Gulf road {the Atlantic & Gulf RR}),
awaiting transportation on the 26th instant; about 230 head to leave
the neighborhood of Sanderson, Fla., on the 27th instant, and
between 400 and 500 head to be started from Madison, Fla., by Major
White during the early part of this week. In addition to this, I
learned by inquiring along the line of the Pensacola and Florida
Railroad {the Pensacola & Georgia RR} that
two droves had passed up in the direction of Stockton, which are
doubtless for this post. This will give us about 1,500 head now well
on their way toward this city, and before they are consumed the
regular shipments from Captains Summer and Baldwin and Messrs. McKay
and Stubbs will begin to arrive. Mr. McKay is the district
commissary in the best cattle section of this State, but he is of
recent appointment, and did not commence operations until the 1st
instant, and we have not, up to this time, received any cattle from
that source. I have no doubt cattle from him are now on their way to
the line of railroad. I have the assurance of Major White that
everything possible will be done to supply General Beauregard's army
in this State, and from the industry and efficiency of that officer
I am satisfied that the matter is safe in his hands. From the
arrangements made by Major White you may, with perfect safety, count
on an average supply of beef during the next month, and for a part
of the month of December. It is proper, however, that I should call
your attention to the fact that the district commissaries have
estimated that they will not be able to drive out more than 9,600
head of cattle during the balance of the season, say to the 1st of
December. This will give us 3,200 head of cattle for the army in
this State.
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| Major White is of the opinion that these
figures will be largely exceeded and from the large number of
detailed men I saw going down to drive the cattle, I am inclined to
believe that he is correct in his opinion.
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| But these arrangements are at best but
temporary, and unless something is done promptly, the middle of
December will see the troops suffering for meat rations, while
cattle are still abundant in Florida. |
| Along the route over which cattle are
now driven in such large numbers, the grass is either trodden down
or consumed, and it is even now difficult to find grazing ground for
the animals, and that portion of the route from Sumter County up to
the Gulf road, a distance of 175 or 200 miles, being subject to
frosts, the grass will be utterly destroyed in the early part of
December, and the cattle cannot be driven through it for want of
pasturage. Could this difficulty be overcome, we might safely count
on a supply of beef until February; otherwise we cannot hope for it
longer than December. |
| Here is a difference of two months in
our supply of beef, and it is of such vital importance to the army
that it is worthy the greatest exertions. |
| To accomplish a result so much to be
desired it will be necessary to lay down a track from Live Oak, on
the Pensacola & Georgia Railroad, to {Station}
No. 12, on the Savannah, Albany & Gulf Railroad {the
Atlantic & Gulf RR}, a distance of about 45 miles. This
road is already graded, and the cross-ties are on the ground, so
that all that is required is the iron, and I am informed that
practical civil engineers say that the road can be put in running
order in six weeks, if they had the iron. That end of the Florida {RR},
commonly known as the Fernandina and Cedar Keys Railroad, running
north from Baldwin, on the Pensacola road, to Fernandina, is not
used at present, and that iron, if taken up {about
46 miles}, would nearly if not quite lay the track. Should
the iron be found to be insufficient, a small portion of the iron of
the Brunswick road {the Brunswick & Albany
RR}, now also in disuse, would complete it. With this
connecting link made, it will be but sixty hours' run for a freight
train from Charleston to Gainesville, Fla., the present southern
terminus of the Florida Railroad, and within 30 or 40 miles of the
never-failing pasture lands of Florida. |
| In that section of country lying south
of a line drawn east and west across the State from the Gulf to the
Atlantic coast, at the lower end of Sumter County, or about 30 miles
from Gainesville, frosts are almost unknown, pasturage is always
good and cattle abundant and in good order at all seasons. If the
road mentioned above was completed, the cattle of this section could
be collected as near the upper line as practicable and easily driven
to Gainesville and shipped from that point. They would reach the
city in from five to seven days from the time of leaving their
ranges, and by this arrangement our beef supply would be placed
beyond the possibility of a failure. |
| Nor is this the only advantage to be
derived from the completion of this road. |
| The planters of South and East Florida
are largely engaged in growing sugar-cane, and it is estimated that
these sections will produce this year about 700,000 pounds of sugar,
besides large quantities of sirup and molasses, all of which could
be made available for the subsistence of this army. |
| ***** |
| I am, sir, very respectfully, |
| C. McClenaghan |
| Major, and Commissary of Subsistence
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| Indorsement
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| Office Chief Commissary
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| Charleston, S. C., October 30, 1863
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| Respectfully referred to the commanding
general, for his information; and his attention is particularly
called to the very great importance of completing the link of
railroad referred to. |
| H. C. Guerin |
| Major, and Commissary of Subsistence |
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