| State of Florida, Executive Department |
| Tallahassee, January 3, 1862 |
| |
| Hon. J. P. Benjamin |
| Secretary of War |
| |
| Sir, |
| ***** |
| Permit me again, most
respectfully, to invite your attention to the defenseless condition
of this place (the capital of the State), and to submit to your
consideration the importance of its defense. ***** Troops can be
landed upon our coast at places unprotected, and by a forced march
of ten hours capture Tallahassee. Moreover, if the enemy deemed it important to hold possession,
they could not be driven from it or captured without immense expense
and great loss of life. Their facilities for concentrating troops
and munitions of war would greatly exceed the means of the
Confederate Government. They would be near the coast, with a
railroad at their command leading from Saint Mark's to the capital {the
Tallahassee RR},
a distance of only twenty-one miles. What means would the
Confederate Government have of concentrating forces, arms, and
munitions of war to rout the enemy? None by railroads, steamboats,
or vessels of any kind; hence the great military necessity of
continuing the Pensacola & Georgia Railroad from Quincy to
Chattahoochee River, a distance of twenty-two miles, where, being
connected with steam-boats from Columbus, Ga., the transportation of
forces, arms, and munitions of war could be accomplished promptly
and comparatively at little expense. Permit me again to invite your
attention to the proposition to defend certain points heretofore
designated to you by previous correspondence, at the expense of the
Confederate Government, because the State has not the means to
support the troops necessary, or of retiring the State troops and
yielding the defense of the State entirely to forces in Confederate
service except when called upon by the officers in command of the
military depart merits in the State to sustain them with State
troops. |
| ***** |
| I have the honor to be, sir, very
respectfully, |
| John Milton |
| Governor of Florida |
|