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Demopolis, 29th Dec. 1864
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| Col. G. W. Brent |
| A. A. Genl. |
| Montgomery |
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| ??? Colonel, I was ordered by
the Engineer Bureau at Richmond to contract with R. R. Co. {Alabama
& Mississippi Rivers RR} to bridge
the Tombigbee River; the Government to do the work, for which the R.
R. Co. is eventually to reimburse the Government. |
| In accordance with this order
I contracted in March last, with A. L. Maxwell to do the work for the
Government, he agreeing ????? and material and devote his personal
attention to this work; for which ????? to recover a certain per cent
on its cost, ??? the work, the Government purchased saw mills &
????? & tools & Maxwell failing to ??? a sufficiency of hands,
labor & mechanics, the Government hired additional negroes,
detailed mechanics and sent them to this work. Recently I received an
order from you to ????? (a ??? of this detailed labor) to Major
??field at Corinth for ??? work on the M&O R. Rd and I also
ordered Maxwell to send hands on the 24th Dec. all the negroes (with
?????) which the Government had hired, that being the day on which
their leave of him transpired and instructed him to notify their
owners and ????? had hired, that after that date he would not pay over
thirty dollars per month, as I could supply their places with
impressed negroes at fifteen dollars per month. Upon receiving this
order, he came to my office and stated that he could not go on with
the work; complaining that I had ordered the Government hired negroes
home and had ordered the ??ing force of detailed mechanics to Corinth
and had had the mechanics, furnished by the Government detailed to
report to me instead of himself and other f?? complaints of the same
kind; claiming that the Government had no right to order men away
when once detailed for that work, & no right to send negroes
away which they had hired & stated that he should go to Genl.
Beauregard & tell him that he would not proceed with this work
under my management. |
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Though the issue is mismanagement of his since they f???,
one of the c?? of the bridge to escape & float down the river and
he complained that it was in consequence of having impressed negroes
to work with when in truth he had at that time all the negroes hired
by himself and by the Government under his control -- none having ???
and ??? off at that date. The ????? with his own self importance and
so insolent that has even assumed to dictate to the Government the
right of withholding detailed men for ??? the a?? ????? at times and
to do any the sight of withdrawing any personal negro labor, which the
Government may have placed on the work. The true cause of his dis???
is the curb I have placed on his ??kle for extravagance. Being paid
??? certain per cent, he prefers to hire negroes at forty five or
fifty dollars per month and ??? the ????? negroes at fifteen dollars
per month. And his objection to having the men detailed to me instead
of to himself is that on one occasion Genl. Taylor ordered me to have
two telegraph masts erected at the bridge. I requested his agent to
have it done -- he refused. I then ordered Saunders, whom I had
detailed to work at the bridge to do it and this he complained of as
an interference with his men. Now the fact is, Maxwell has ???
neglected this work and left it to agents which have worked with bad
judgment while he reposed in comfortable quarters at Macon Georgia,
350 miles away -- he not having spent more than three or four weeks on
the work since March, the date of the contract, and with all the
repeated remonstrances I have made to him, have not been able to get
him to give it his personal attention as he contracted to do.
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I should not trouble you with these affairs had he not
said he would make complaint to Genl. Beauregard and as he will
doubtless make ????? I know it due to ??? to appraise you of the
facts. Maxwell has assembled Military ??? so far as the ??? of
building bridges by contract with the Government. He should now be
made to execute his contract in good faith or be ordered to go into the
army.
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Respectfully
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Minor Meriwether
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Lt. Col. Engrs.
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