| Headquarters Department of North Carolina |
| Goldsborough, N. C., February 12, 1863 |
| |
| Hon. James A. Seddon |
| Secretary of War |
| |
| Sir,
|
| I have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of your letter of the 10th instant, inclosing a letter
written to you by Maj. C. S. Carrington in relation to forage at
Tarborough and the sources from which I am to draw supplies for my
forces. I have had many years of experience in the quartermaster's
department, and foreseeing last summer that the Army of the Potomac
would have to depend on the supplies from North Carolina, gave implicit instructions to all my quartermasters accordingly.
Before the crop was ripe enough to shell I ordered it to be brought
in the shuck in box cars, and from that time to the present have
sent it forward to Petersburg
and Richmond
as fast as cars could be procured. The quartermasters at Weldon and
Tarborough have been furnished by me with every means necessary to
collect the forage, but the greatest difficulty I have had to
encounter has been with the railroad companies. I have caused many
letters to be written and have had interviews with the officers
asking their aid to get the forage out of the country, and have gone
so far as to impress trains to send grain to your city. Several
weeks since I directed Captain Venable to force the cars, whenever
they were about to return empty from Weldon to Petersburg, to proceed to
Halifax
for grain for the Army of the Potomac. In a letter addressed to W. T. Joynes some time since I earnestly
solicited his aid as president of the Petersburg
and Weldon Railroad {the Petersburg RR} in
this matter, and have urged this also on Colonel Frémont of the
Wilmington & Weldon Railroad. Storehouses have been built and
large wagon trains sent to Tarborough by my orders to secure grain;
and I was not before aware that Major Carrington had much control
over these supplies, which have claimed the particular attention of
my chief quartermaster as well as myself. Without exception, I have
always directed that supplies for all commands should be drawn from
the surrounding country, except on the Black-water and other extreme
frontier lines, when they were required, as far as possible, to
forage within the lines of the enemy. I am apprehensive that Major
Carrington is not well informed respecting the resources of the
State, or he would not have thought it possible for the troops south
of Goldsborough to find supplies in that part of the country. I am
getting all that can be found, especially from Sampson
County; but there is only a little that can be purchased. In
Onslow
County
some could be found, but it will all be required for the cavalry on
duty there before the crop of oats mature. Before the receipt of
your letter I ordered General J. J. Pettigrew with his brigade to
march via Greenville
to Washington
County
to drive the enemy out of the town of Plymouth and from the counties
adjoining Washington, so as to enable us to get the supplies out of
that part of the State and to give protection to the people and
induce them to plant largely for the coming season. A force has also
been sent into Bertie
County
for a similar purpose, and to operate in Gates and Chowan
Counties. The people of the eastern part of the State have some cause of
complaint for want of protection, because the small force I have had
in my command precluded my advancing them far east of the railroad.
Now for the first time I have an available force to send east and
attack the enemy and give some protection to the citizens. Today
finds the enemy not advanced a foot from where he was in July last,
when I was placed in charge of this department. I inclose with this
a letter from the quartermaster at Tarborough in reply to one from
my chief quartermaster. You may rest assured I shall draw all my
supplies as far as possible from the surrounding country. The
requirements for Wilmington
are 10,000 bushels per month. |
| Yours, very respectfully, |
| S. G. French |
| Major-General, Commanding |
|