Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac R. R.
Co.
| President's Office |
| Richmond, November 10, 1861 |
| |
| Hon. J. P. Benjamin |
| Secretary of War |
| |
| Dear Sir, |
| Upon the seizure, on the 19th of April last, of
the Potomac River steam-boats by the Lincoln Government, in
accordance with suggestions which I then made to General R. E. Lee,
then commanding the forces of this State, and which he adopted in a
circular issued by him to the railroad companies of this State,
various precautionary measures were adopted by this company to place
this road in a state of defense against the designs of the enemy and
to make it most useful to our Government. Among these was the
employment at all of the bridges on the road of armed guards where
none had been employed before, and of additional ones where any had
been before employed, for the protection of those important
structures from the incendiary designs of secret enemies and
emissaries employed by the enemy. After continuing their employment
some four months at the exclusive cost of this company, the
Government having declined to defray any part of that cost, or even
to furnish arms or ammunition for those guards, the Government then
having troops at several points on the road, with the command of the
militia along its whole length, and the expense to this company
being too burdensome to be continued, I addressed a note to General
Lee apprising him that at the end of that month the employment of
these additional guards would be discontinued on this road, and
suggested that of the troops stationed at different camps along the
road, or from the militia of the counties through which it passes,
guards for day and night sentry duty at each railroad bridge should
be regularly detailed by the officers immediately in command of
those troops. No reply was ever received to this note. The recent
destruction of the railroad bridges in East Tennessee induces me to
renew to you the suggestion made to General Lee, not only as to this
railroad, the sole railroad connecting the Lower Potomac with the
seat of Government, headquarters and general rendezvous of the Army,
and with the South, but also as to the other railroads in the
Confederate States now so essential to the public service. It is
true that all are not like the East Tennessee railroads, surrounded
by a population largely disloyal, but in the most loyal sections of
the country there may be secret enemies and employees of the enemy
who in the solitude of the country and darkness of night may, by
burning these bridges with impunity, inflict most disastrous blows
upon the success of our arms, and earn of the Lincoln Government
ample rewards for treachery. The destruction of one or two bridges
on this road would cut off railroad communication with the Lower
Potomac and cripple that with the Upper Potomac also, as this road
furnishes transportation for troops and supplies over the {Virginia}
Central Railroad also, which also has an important bridge
within twenty-five miles of Richmond. The destruction of the East
Tennessee railroad bridges leaves now for army transportation but
one railroad route to the south and southwest. The destruction of
either of the long bridges over the James or Roanoke Rivers (to say
nothing of the lesser ones) would deprive you of that sole remaining
route. The expense of this arrangement to the Government would be,
if anything additional to its necessary pay of the troops who might
otherwise be idle, trivial compared with the importance of the
security attained, while it would be an intolerable burden to the
railroad companies, who could not employ the same number of men for
less than double the wages paid to soldiers, amounting to many times
the cost of insurance, and who in the performance of an enormous
amount of transportation for the Government at half or less than
half tolls, and often at a considerable loss, with the wear and
destruction of their machinery, not to be replaced at scarcely any
cost, and the many times multiplied cost of all their materials and supplies,
are, and have been, making sacrifices for the public good which have
no parallel in the country, and may exhaust their means of
maintenance before the end of the existing war. |
| With much respect, your obedient servant |
| P. V. Daniel, Jr. |
| President Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac R.
R. Co. |
|