Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 03.djvu/116

106 of Richmond was then actively progressing, it was impracticable to move those supplies.

For many months previously the army wagon trains had been employed in collecting subsistence throughout the country and hauling directly to the army near Petersburg. No report of these collections was ever made directly to the Bureau; so no estimate can be made of the amount of stores held in that way on or about the 1st of April, 1865.

In reply to your question with regard to the establishment of a depot of supplies at Amelia Courthouse, I have to say that I had no information of any such requisition or demand upon the Bureau. During the month of March, and up to the 1st April, 1865, the combined exertions of our own officers and those of the volunteer commissariat kept all of the sub-depots on the lines of railroad in Virginia nearly always full. The means of transportation were constantly inadequate.

June 3d, 1873.

General—Your communication, calling attention to difference in my statement of number of rations at this post at the time of the evacution of the city (400,000 rations of bread and meat) and that of Lieutenant-Colonel T. G. Williams, Assistant Commissary-General (300,000 rations of bread and meat), has been duly considered. This difference has evidently been caused by reports to the Bureau prior to the latest movements before the evacuation of the city, and I feel fully assured in reiterating my statement that I controlled the quantity claimed; and more, that I had under my eye stores put away by speculators and hoarders that could have been gathered in short time, and had been permitted to remain undisturbed until necessity demanded. I distributed a large number of rations on the day and night of the evacuation to every demand from army sources, to many of the citizens, and then, with the pressure of the evacuation, the supplies were taken possession of by the crowd.

No order was received by me, and (with full opportunities of information if it had been given) I have no knowledge of any plan to send supplies to Amelia Courthouse.