| Murfreesboro N. C. |
| Aug 15th 1864 |
| |
| His Excellency |
| President Davis |
| |
| Dear Sir, |
| I have just learned with great regret
that Col. C. F. M. Garnett Comssr for obtaining rail road iron
proposes to recommend the sequestration of the Seaboard & Roanoke Rail
Road to use in repairs elsewhere. I am quite sure there are many lines
of rail road which may be taken up when necessary with less detriment
to public and private interests. The value of the Seaboard Road as a
part of the defenses of Weldon and as an ??? to the commissary
supplies raised in the large and fertile territory back of the Chowan
river must so greatly under-rated, if this road is to be destroyed
while others are left undisturbed. |
| Troops have been always kept on or near
the Chowan and the Blackwater its tributary and have been able ??? to
hold that line. By means of the road, these can be reinforced from
Weldon within a few hours, as they can th?? in as short a time to
transferred to any point of threatened attack, insuring the safety of
Weldon. |
| The Commissary Department too has, for
the past two years, been obtaining very liberal supplies of bacon and
green pork from the country beyond the Chowan all of which is conveyed
to some point on the Seaboard road and then transported to the army. I
cannot pretend to estimate the quantity, but it is certainly very
large. It this rail road be broken up, this increased distance of
waggoning, and the more immanent danger of destruction from the enemy
will ??? might cut off this source of supply. |
| But aside from the public considerations
referred to, the measure will be eminently disastrous to the entire
country east of Weldon, South in Virginia & this State. It puts still
farther beyond the protection of the government the loyal and faithful
people East of Chowan, and exposes several additional counties in this
State and some in Virginia to hostile inroads of the enemy and all the
desolation and ruin which usually follow in their footsteps. On their
behalf, contributing no small part of this Cong. District, I do most
earnestly urge forbearance and with that the road may not, at least
until a more pressing exigency requires the sacrifice, be destroyed. |
| Your Excellency, I am sure, will not
deem me unreasonable in expressing the deep interest which my
constituents have in the maintenance of this line unimpaired; and
which must be apparent from their returns towards it. The recapture of
Plymouth has been p??ful in good results. It has expelled the enemy
from a place, where expeditions were constantly being fitted out to
harass & annoy us by land and by water. It has broken up a nest of
deserters and runaway slaves and given a degree of security to our
people not experienced since the fall of Roanoke Island, by those who
??? most of the town. I hope the work and liberate Albemarle Island,
as the construction of one has the river Roanoke, from further
molestation from Yankee ships. As an auxiliary to these agencies and
necessary to their success must be counted the preservation of our
only line of rail road communication. |
| I would not trouble you with these
suggestions, but for the great importance of the matters i??, and
because I know you give personal attention and thought to them, and
desire to protect as far as you can all parts of our territory and
also of our interests both great respect I am |
| Your obt. Sevt |
| W. N. H. Smith |
|