War Department
| Richmond, Va., March 2, 1864 |
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| Governor A. B. Vance |
| Raleigh, N. C. |
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| Your Excellency: I an duly in receipt of yours of
17th ultimo. I have already written you of the difficulty of
transporting to Wilmington a sufficiency of cotton to meet our
urgent and pressing wants. Lieutenant-Colonel Sims, chief of the
railroad bureau, to whom I referred your letter, returns it
indorsed: |
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| "All the rolling-stock that can be found is now
employed in running cotton to Wilmington, and instructions have been
sent out to load all trains with Government cotton to the exclusion
of that owned by private parties. Nothing more can be done without
diverting some of the corn trains." |
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| You will see, therefore, that every effort is being
made to transport the Government cotton to Wilmington. On 26th
ultimo, Mr. Seixas was enabled to borrow 600 bales of cotton from
some parties in Wilmington, and I at once telegraphed him to pay
over 300 of them to your agent. The balance of the debt will be
canceled as rapidly as possible. |
| Your obedient servant, very respectfully, |
| James A. Seddon |
| Secretary of War |
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