December 5, 1863
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| Maj. Minor Meriwether |
| Corps of Engineers, Commanding, etc |
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| Major, |
| I have to acknowledge the receipt of your
letter of the 22d ultimo; I fully agree with you as to the
advisability of making the Lawton and Live Oak railroad connection,
and of its decided superiority to that proposed from Tallahassee to
the Chattahoochee, for the reasons urged in your letter, but
principally on account of the rapidity with which it can be
realized. The honorable Secretary of War is fully alive to the
importance of the work, and Colonel Garnett, your colleague, is in
frequent communication with him on the subject. In case the
companies alluded to by you refuse to lay the track, the honorable
Secretary of War, I think, is disposed to take into serious
consideration your proposition to "lay the track on Government
account, reserving the right to use it during the war, and sell or
remove the iron at the will of the Government." I have not,
however, secured the Secretary's definite opinion on the subject as
yet, as he evidently greatly prefers that the undertaking should be
in the hands of a company, and has directed Colonel Garnett to press
on the negotiation. |
| Major Sims, of the quartermaster's department and
superintendent of railroad transportation, is attending a meeting of
railroad men in Georgia at this time, and has promised to give his
personal attention to the subject of the removal of the railroad
iron from Tebeauville. Colonel Garnett thinks that his exertions
will be crowned with success. |
| It is for the commission to judge when it is proper
to proceed in the removal of iron from any of the condemned roads;
but as a matter of policy I deem it best to secure instructions when
to proceed from the honorable Secretary of War, as such a course
will secure his hearty co-operation and give special weight to your
proceedings. As Colonel Garnett is on duty in this city, such a
course can scarcely be productive of appreciable delay. In the case
of the Macon & Brunswick Railroad, as you have probably learned
from you colleague, the Secretary had decided upon a temporary
suspension, principally on account of the commissary stores, fuel
and timber transported over the road. The information you obtained
in Macon in regard to the losses sustained by the Government in the
exchange of new for old railroad iron does not surprise me, as the
rumors in regard to the agent connected with those exchanges had
fully prepared me for some such result. The proper rates of
exchange, I would suggest, should be determined in consultation with
the Niter and Mining Bureau, which is charged with the great iron
interests of the country. This might be done by telegram to prevent
delay, should there be need for prompt action. |
| I am pleased to hear of your high estimate of Mr.
Tate, and trust that the connection at Demopolis, under his
auspices, may be rapidly pushed to completion. Cannot the bridge
across the Tombigbee be more rapidly constructed than your letter
would seem to indicate? As the bottom is of rock (so represented, at
least) could not rough but strong cribs be placed and filled with
stone, and on them a lighter superstructure, which would answer a
temporary purpose, and be susceptible of prompt construction? Not
being at all familiar with the streams in your section of the
country, nor of the character of the freshets on the Tombigbee, I
make these suggestions in all modesty. In regard to the construction
of the Pearl River bridge and the railroad connection at Jackson, I
am anxious that you should turn your personal attention to them as
far as the other duties of your position will admit. I have written
to Lieutenant-Colonel Lockett, informing him that the bureau fully
approved of his suggestion to place those latter matters under your
control. |
| In the present situation of affairs in the vicinity
of Chattanooga, I do not think it is prudent to press the completion
of the construction between Jacksonville, Ala., and Rome Ga. |
| Your employment of a clerk is authorized. |
| Your commission, as well as a pass from the Secretary
of War, as also authorization to call on quartermasters for
transportation, was forwarded sometime since by Colonel Garnett, and
has, I presume, been received by this time. |
| I have made a requisition in your favor for $10,000,
which will be placed to your credit in Montgomery, Ala., to meet
current expenses. |
| When traveling on duty and away from your station,
your expenses are allowed. Inclosed I send the order of the Adjutant
and Inspector General relating to the subject, which will be your
Guide (General Orders, No. 49, Paragraph II). |
| Trusting that the foregoing answer to your questions
will prove satisfactory, I am, very respectfully, yours |
| A. L. Rives |
| Lieutenant-Colonel and Acting Chief of Bureau |
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