Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 23.djvu/185

 The Ei-'i'-'intn,,, ,>f It;.-!,,,,,,,,,!. 179

The laM letter, to which I have above referred, was from the War Department of the United States, in response to inquiries made by me in a personal interview with the Adjutant-General :

WAR DEPARTMENT, ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE,

WASHINGTON, May 22, 1879.

John //<>: YW/. AVy. , Attorney at Lau\ Richmond, Va.:

SIR, Referring to your inquiry of the zist instant, I have re- spectfully to inform you that no record can be found in this office of any orders issued by the Government of the United States directing commanders in the field to seize tobacco belonging to adherents of the Confederacy.

It appears, however, of record that on the 4th of March, 1865, General Grant directed Colonel S. H. Roberts, commanding a bri- gade of the Twenty-fourth army corps, to proceed with his brigade to the vicinity of Fredericksburg, Va., for the purpose of seizing or destroying wherever found all property being used in barter for un- authorized articles of trade between the rebels and Northern cities, and to break up the contraband trade carried on between Fredericks- burg and Richmond.

Under these instructions, Colonel Roberts captured and destroyed which were brought in and turned over to the quartermaster's de- partment at Fort Monroe, Va.
 * i large quantity of tobacco, including some 400 cases of that article,

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

E. D. TOWNSEND,

Adjutant- General.

This communication is important, as showing that there never was, in point of fact, any necessity for the destruction of the Rich- mond tobacco, and it fully accords with the statement of Mr. James A. Scott, an excellent man and well-known tobacconist, above men- tioned, which in effect was that no interference was made by the Fed- eral Government at or after the capture of Richmond with the tobacco undestroyed, but that, on the contrary, it was permitted to remain in the hands of its owners, and to be disposed of by sale and shipment abroad, as before the war, and as if no war had existed.

The real and causative cause, causa causaus of the destruction of