| Office Shelby Iron Co. |
| April 26th 1865 |
| |
| Maj. Thos. Peters |
| |
| Dear Sir, |
| Mr. Lapsley & Mr. Hall
failed to see you last week in Selma. Mr. Parthrman said you had
written to me, but I have received nothing from you. I saw your letter
to Mr. Lapsley. I understand Maj. Gorsuch said, that all the iron had
been turned over to the Selma Iron Co. I don't know how this is. Maj.
Wicks told me when he was here, that there was some (800) eight
hundred tons of pig iron at the Bibb furnace. I did not suppose that
the Govt. was owing the Selma to so much. Mr. Hall said he understood
Maj. Gorsuch to say that he was expecting Maj. Pettit every day with
money to settle all a/cs. If you make the arrangement with Col. Hunt
of which you wrote get all the Bibb pig iron you can. If there should
not be iron enough to pay us, cotton will do. I understand there are
several hundred bales on Mr. Watts' plantation. If the iron at the
Bibb furnace is turned over to us, it will be more convenient for us
to secure it, than if taken in Selma. I would prefer pig iron to bar
iron in settlement. It gives a better margin. Secure that machinery
for us. We need the engine & boilers worse now than ever. Our
rolling mill engine will not do for any purpose. The furnace engine
with a great deal of work might be made to work awhile. I understand
the engine at the Bibb mills was not much injured. Try and get
permission from Col. Hunt for us to take it up & use it, if on
examination we find it worth removing. |
| I have written Mr. Tillman to
see you about the meat, leather & osnaburg. The Yankees played the
devil with things here. Very little of our machinery is worth
anything. In your letter to Mr. Lapsley you say you have $15000 to $20000 on hand. It will likely be several days before I can come to
Selma. I am trying to assist the RRd {must have
been the Alabama & Tennessee River RR} in repairing their bridges &
Co; & will go down today with a number of hands to hurry up the
work. If you are owing any borrowed money use what you have on hand to
pay up. If you can't pay it out, I can use it here, but can get along
without it. |
| The chief business now, is to
secure the meat, leather & osnaburgs, get Iron, cotton or money
for what the Govt. owes, get the engine & boilers in Selma in possession
& as much other good machinery from the wreck there as you can. I
will be in Selma as soon as I can. |
| This country is starving &
the RRd must be put through as soon as possible to get corn. I will
send down ten (10) teams Friday to haul corn to Plantersville & as
no body seems to take much interest in fixing up the Road I will go
down myself with our hands & see what can be done. |
| Hurry up the work on the
Cahaba road {Cahaba, Marion & Greensboro
RR?}
if you can. Folks can't live long on grass. Let me hear
from you as soon as you can. Mr. Andrews can send a letter up to me.
If Maj. Pettit returns with money & pays us off, let me know it at
earliest day. The money should be invested with the least possible
delay. The Yankees caught the Decatur last Sunday above Talladega
& burnt her; tender & cars. Genl. Hill was the cause. He laid
violent hands on her and would not suffer the engineer I learn to take
her to a place of safety. A few more such licks will settle things I
think. |
| Yours truly |
| A. T. Jones |
| |
| Do you want Crassman &
Rollins? We have no use for them now. |
|