| Office of the Mobile & Ohio Railroad |
| Mobile Ala., April 25th 1864 |
| |
| Lt Col F W Sims |
| Chf of Rail Road Bureau |
| Richmond |
| |
| Colonel, |
| Please make such endorsement
on the enclosed letter as you think the case warrants & forward it
to Col Preston. |
| I desire some one appointed by
the Bureau convenient to the city to whom I can refer without
the trouble & delay of sending to Head Quarters at Montgomery, and
the adoption of some form of exemption that will prevent our employees
from leaving our service whenever they please. We have had a strike in
our shops and were forced to pay the Mechanics $15.00 per day, and
that class of men now believe they can change their places at will
& force the Rail Road Companies into any measures they may adopt. |
| In accordance with orders from
Genl Polk I am now extending our Road to Corinth, which I hope to
reach in two weeks, and may then move into Tennessee. The
extension of the Road and the rebuilding of permanent structures where
temporary ones were constructed in that part of the Road destroyed by
the Yankee Raids, will require for some time more men than is allowed
by law, & I will be obliged to you to obtain an order from the War
Department to prevent interference with such men as we may require for
the purposes. Genl Polk will grant details for this purposes, but the
men require ??? within the Conscription Act, and are beyond his
control. |
| I have retained the services
of the employees of this Road while it was being repaired at a cost of
$500,000, above our receipts, that we might be prepared to
efficiently perform the Governments transportation as early as
practicable. I now find that the business of the Road at present rates
is not more than half the expenses, and they must be increased
or we shall be forced to stop. It is the darkest hour I have seen
during the war. |
| Very Respectfully, Sir |
| L. J. Fleming |
| Chf Eng & Genl Supt |
|