| Jackson, Tennessee |
| March 24, 1862 |
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To Genl. Beauregard
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Dear Sir,
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| The facts in the case of Maj. Wilburn as
reported to me and as they appear by the dispatches herewith filed are
as follows: |
| On Saturday last Maj. Wilburn without
authority and in violation of the rules of the road put a hand car on
at Humboldt & sent it down south. Mr. Iuman had been sent north
and was returning with the passenger train & by direction of Maj.
Hurt attached fifteen cars of forage which he had to push before the
train. The hand car being improperly on the track & Wilburn's
hands having jumped off of it the train mashed it up. Today Mr. Iuman
was started in haste to get away a turn tale at the state line & a
tank at Union City take to bring wood down to Corinth to supply the
engineers; the wood down here being wet. On his arrival at Humboldt
Maj. Wilburn had him seized & put in the guard house. He had done
nothing but his duty & the mashing the hand car was caused by
Wilburn's conduct in improperly putting it on the track. Maj. R. B.
Hurt was in the office & immediately sent a dispatch as follows
"3 P.M. 24 March. Col. W. J. N. Wilburn Mil. gov. "You
will release conductor Inman & let him take his train to its
destination." Wilburn refused to obey the order as you will see
by Maj. Hurt's statement in writing herewith filed. |
| Not content with deep outrages Wilburn
took control of the trains & telegraphed as follows to the
superintendent "What was the wood train sent for & to where
does it go"? |
| He having refused to obey the order of
Maj. Hurt, the telegraph operator at Humboldt telegraphed as follows
"Mr. Inman still in confinement in the guard house cannot he be
released. His friends desire immediately action on his behalf." |
| At dark this evening Wilburn dispatched to
Mr. Williams the Superintendent as follows "There are eight cars
here loaded. Send up a locomotive for them." W. J. N.
Wilburn Military Governor." |
| This shows that he has taken absolute
control of the trains & claims to order out cars & imprison
the officers of the road at pleasure. |
| We sent up twenty hands to take up the
turn table & the water tank & to get the wood loaded. But this
outrage has stopped everything & in this important crisis lost the
days work & may lose the turn table & tank entirely. |
| Most respectfully, |
| Milton Brown |
| Prest. Mobile & Ohio R. R. Compy |