Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1864-02-26
" OFFICE OF CHIEF CONNussARY,
QUINCY, Fla. Nov. 2, 1868.


QUINCY, Fla. Nov. 2, 1868. J
1t has been a subject of anxious consider
alton how / could, without injury to our
cause, expose to the people throughout the
State the present perilous condition of our
army. To do this through the public press,
would point out our source of danger to our
enemies. To see each one in person, or even
a sufficient number to effect the object con-
templated, is impossible yet the necessity Of
general and immediate action is imperative to
save our army, and with it our cause from
disaster.
" The following extracts, from official letters
in my possession, do partially represent the
present condition of the armies of Gems. Bragg
and Beauregard, and their gloomy prospect
for futare supplies. Major j. F. Cumming,
who supplies Gen. Bragg's army, writes
alt is absolutely and vitality important
that all the cattle that can possibly be
brought here shall be brought as promptly as
possible : and again, on the 5th of October,
be says 3: 1 cannot too strongly urge upon
you the necessity, yes, the urgent necessity of
sending forward cattle promptly. In regard
to bacon, the stock is about exhausted hence
beef is our only hope And on the goth of
October he wrote: The army is to-day OF
half rationg of beef, and fear within few
days will have nothing but bread to eat
" Major Guerin, Chief Commissary Of
South Carolina, wrote We are almost en-
lirely dependent on Florida, and it is Of the
last importance at this time that the troops
here should be subsisted.' Again he says :
As it is, our situation is full OF danger, from
want Of meat, and extraordinary efforts are
required to prevent disaster And on the
9th Of October he says: We have now 40,.
600 troops and laborers to subsiat. The sup
ply of bacon on hand in the city is 10000
pounds, and the cattle furnished by this State
is not one-tenth of what is required. Ny anx-
ieties and apprehensions, you may suppose,
are greatly excited
Major Millen of Savannah, on October 18th
says /: assure you, Major, that the stock
of bacon and beef for the armies ef the Con-
federate States is now exhausted, and We must
depend entirely upon what we can gather
weekly. Starvation stares the army in the
face-the handwriting is on the WALL On
October 26th, he says: From the best in
| formatioR have, the resources of food (meat)
Of both the Tennessee and Virginia armies,
are exhausted. This remark now applies
with equal force to South Carolina and Geor-
gia, and the army must heneeforth depend up
on the energy of the purchasing comnissaries,
through their daily or weekly collections I
have exhausted the beef cattle, and L am now
obliged to kill stock cattle
The circular then continues
Z" You know the resources of Tennessee are
lost to us the hog cholera and other causes
have cat short the prospect in Georgia and
other States. 1t is ascertained that the last
years crop of bacon is about exhausted, and
it is certain that the crop of this will be much
shorter than that of last year. Now two
large armies look almost solely to Florida tC
supply one entire article of subsistence. The
entire surplus of this years crop of bacon
throughout the Confederacy even when hus
banded with the utmost economy, will be in
| adequate to the demands of the Government
This makes it the duty of every man to econo-
mize as much as possible, to sell not pound
to any one else whilst there is any danger o
our army suffering, and to pledge at schedule
rates his entirs surplus-bacon, beef, sugal
and siFup-to the Government. l solemnly
believe our cause is hopeless, unless our peo
pie can be brought to this point.
+" You are especially requested not to ALLOW
this circular to go out Of your po ssessioD, bu
to read it to such persons as you know to b
true and prudent, and to begin the work cor
tsmplated Immediately"