Commander W. W. Hunter, {CSN},
New Orleans, La.
| New Orleans, July 1, 1861 |
| |
| Sir, |
| You requested me today to give you a
statement in reference to the railroad connecting the Sabine River
with Galveston, Tex {the Texas & New
Orleans Railroad}. The town of Orange, on the Sabine River,
35 miles from the mouth of its entrance, i.e., Sabine Pass, is the
eastern terminus, now completed, of the connecting link with the
Opelousas Railroad {the New Orleans, Opelousas
& Great Western Railroad}. Beaumont, on the Neches River,
is distant per railroad 28 miles west of Orange. Both the Sabine and
Neches have their outlet at the Sabine Pass. The railroad is
completed from Orange to Houston, and in running order. Troops
landed at the Sabine Pass can be readily transported by light-draft
steamers to either Beaumont or Orange at all seasons of the year.
There are now seven light-draft steamers suitable for their
transportation laid up on the above-mentioned rivers, belonging to
citizens of Texas, who would burn them before they would permit them
to carry a single Federal troop. |
| But could the enemy land their troops at
Sabine Pass, they could march them 25 miles over a track of a
railroad that has 14 miles ties laid and in working order, and 13
miles of track leveled, all ready for the iron. Then they would have
the control of the road to Houston, all the way to Galveston. We
would then (on the coast) be surrounded by the Federal troops. They
also could march their troops into the interior of Texas by the
dividing line between Texas and Louisiana, i.e., the banks of the
Sabine River, through to Arkansas. At the Sabine Pass, at this
season of the year, there will be no difficulty (if with a pilot) in
getting in a vessel of 10 feet draft; in the winter months, about 7
feet. This latter remark is owing to the northerly winds that
prevail in the winter months. |
| The railroad, via Orange or Beaumont, to
Houston and Galveston is now in running order, and Galveston can
readily be reached from Orange in ten hours. |
| Julius A. Pratt {Esq}
|
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