The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-07-21
dppt IL procurement depends upon the ability 70 com
mand money and transportation

BAD ORGANIZATION OF THs REBEL ARMY.
Prior to the spring Of 1893 much Of the proper worn OF
the department had been executed more or less impe
iecty, by commssares in the field, acting under tne
doubts and sometimes conflicting orders OF their com
concession always reluctantly yielded to the claims or
authority made by the commanders or ~ 10 the only
Gers made and directed by the War Department report
70 them when neither the number OF troops nor the plans
sary General For II is fact and has been constant
cause of embarrassment to the bureau, that IN
| only two cases has ever neen om aan;
! ance, and in none has il had an opportunity
of working 10 meet the necessities or conn
gencies of campaign But when II became obvious that
the army must subsised from within our Confederate
limits il formed plan 10 secure everything that was
| possible knowing that ALL and more than all, would he
| needed The plan TO appoint one chief commssary
for State 70 district the States and TO subdivide
ines. .hsss dsess and and % supply them
with money and all proper facilities for purchase and
cumulaton Each officer was to appoint his own mme,
diatc subordinates take such the bureau had
already in position and the whole organization was put
work under tho general supervision of the bureau 1t
arranged that there should be monthly reports of
purchases and irpressments, and estimates Of future
| Accommodations for the succeeding months and semi
monthly returns OF stocks ON hand at the various posts
ana depois
DEFICIENT TRANSPORTATION USED UP RAILROADS.
But an obstacle nearly great as scarcity OF money
mas Deem ne T r Oh s o. melee. ~ a 1o
under the organization Of the War Department the de-
partmen,s OF Qnartermaster General and Commissary
hstence was essariy closely connected with trans
portaton that the subject engaged the attention Of the
bureau SO soon as the government was established in
| Richmond. This know from having been consulted by
the C0mmssary General the subject few DAYS after
his arrival at took him to a distinguished rail
road president who knew had been bending his atcn
ton to the same subject and had projected thorough
freight schedule from New Orleans Richmond. With
that gentleman he went ut IN the Quartemaster
General by whom the plan not adopted From that
time ms interest in the subject has been kept alive by
the failures in thai branch The public service
consequence and his efforts have been uniagging TO
prevent disaster from that cause In September 1862
when determined TO the railroad administras
ton into bureau he took 10 Mr. Davis at his request
gentleman whom he thought sutaba TO the task VI
mastering the question: and II he be said TO have
iDruded into anything is into that business During
the Of each Secretary OF War he has been
active in his Efforts in this regard Let suffice here to
say of this, that his letter book FOR the
year last past has been examined somewhat hastily to
furnish evidence this head to the commttce and that
The examination disclosed upwards OF thirty in
which he treated the subject ut greater or less length IN
addressed to The Secretary of War; Que to General Lee
and General Bragg. / have myself Witnessed
eral conversations On this subject between the COM
missary General and the Secretary Of War; in which he
pressed his point with persistence which, any other
subject should have thought pernacily and take II
for granted he had others Of similar character, when
was not present have also heard conversations be
tween himself and various members Of Congress on the
subject He had for the interest thus mani
Tested
THE DANGER no LEES ARMY.
Five times before the 18th December had General
of transportation On the I'd Of May, two days be-
fore The battles Of last spring commenced there were
but two days raons for his army in this city On the
23d June when the federal Generals Wilson and Kautz
cut the Danvile>Raroad, which not repaired for
hand Tor General Lees army and to feed il we had to
offer market for wheat then uncut shocked in
the feld-hereby mourning au excess OF expenditure;
which. IL invested in aud transportation, would
have moved ten millions OF bread raons from Augusta
| " Richmond.
WHAT THE PRISONERS ATE.
repeatedly requested To all abundant country where
they might get their supplies ON the spot re-
moved until the spring of 1854 when they had con
sumed entire of thirty thousand barrels OF
-four General Ice had urged the Importance OF having
at least thirty days here here and at Lynch
bnrg, and IL duty meet ms Wishes The Com
| mssary General thought that no means Of doing il
should be neglected omitted Not only did he protest
against the failure or transportation but several occa
siOns he ventured 10 suggest remedies One or these,
'ss trains and 'oes ali pvns
freight trains until the government freight should be
brought on. In January the secretary Of War had
was not give until March or April. AZ once government
freight poured In, and jn two weeks had more sub
hand than We had accumulated before any
one month But in very short time the order
voked and We relapsed into our former condition
to in which we have continued ever since
except that it has been constantly growing What
Is at present the committee, presume know az well
| or better than do.
! DAVIS KNEW OF ALL THE ABUSES
II Is proper 10 say that his Exceency the President
| has been made aware Of the condition OF the commits
saria directly from this bureau and with the ledge
of the honorable Secretary of War On the first day of
| November he applied 10 the Commssary General,
through Of his aids know il his magazines
increasing or diminishing He sent back they
! diminishing and 10 give him n accurate
information hc sent through the officer copy of
Major French's letter OF the 18th OF October upon
winch based my report Of date in favor Of
newing the Power, Low Go. contract Upon that lei
ter he placed endorsement, TO which the President
replied by another The entire document Is here given
| in FULL
| THIRTY MILLION REouIsITIoNs USriLLsD:
| BuIBAU OF 81 EXISTENCE RICHMOND, Oct. Is 1854.
Colonel B. NoRTHRor Sommissary General of suhsist-
| ence:-
CoI0SFI have the honor to submit for your consider
alton the incioscd memorandum OF meats hand AZ the
the various dcp0s and posts in the Confederate states,
from which You will see at glance the. alarming con
dition of the commissariat Georgia Alabama and Mis-
sssippi the only where have accumuIa-
ton and from these all the armies OF the confederacy
are now subssting, TO nothing Of the prisoners The
Chief Commissary OF Georgia teegaphs that he cannot
send forward another pound. Alabama, under the
most urgent call has recently shipped 600 pounds
but ship Mississippi is rendering all the
aid possible to the command OF General Beaurcgard in
supplying beef. She s without bacon Florida Il ex
hausted and can only respond 10 the local demand
South Carolina scarcely able subsist the troops
Charleston and the prisoners in the interior Of the State
During my late trip to North Carolina visited every
on Of the State for the purpose Of asccrtanng The
condition Of affairs, and under your orers to send for
ward every pound Of meat possible TO the Army Of North
crn Virginia, and to supply the forts at Wilmington
| After thorough and careful examination | was unable
taking INTO consideration the local daily ssuos 70 ship
one pound to either Virginia Wilmington and but Tor
the timely arrival steamer Banshce Wilmington,
General Lees order for thirty days reserve nj the forts
could not have boen furnished From the enclosed
| memorandum you will notice that we have only on
hand in the Confederate states 04s raons of fresh
meat, and 1926 $40 rstions OF bacon and pork which
will subsist three hundred thousand men twenty five
days. We compelled Ia subsist independent OF
the armies Of the confcdeacy the prisoners of war the
Navy Department and the different bureaus Ut the War
Department Very respectfully, your obeden servant,
| =. B FRENCH, Major and c. T.
| DISBURSEMENT AZ ABOVE.
This is copy of paper sent TO the Secretary Of War
\ with communication the subject OF importations,
setting forth with the enclosed tue condition Of affairs
or the acquisitions OF this $50 900 900 remain
unified Certificates OF Indebtedness no longer answer
for purchases and mpressments, and people hide their
stores unless promised currency in hand and run on
| their stock.
This bureau has used certificates iban all the
others put together including the other departments OF
| tse government The movement III General Hood
army, and the supply Of bceves from Texas, and those
collected In Mississippi Tennessee having diminished
the drain the country lying the waters OF the A.