Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-10-22
CONFEDERATE P0srAL sERpIoE.
Thirty-elght Men and One Messenger
Comprised the Force.

comprised the EOrce.
Marshal Gushing, the private secre-
tary Of Postmaster general Wanamakcr,
is preparing an interesting article of the
history of the postal service of the
United States. Included in the work
will be history of the post-ofilce de-
partment of the Confederate states.
With view to obtaining the most
authentic information, Mr.. Gushing ad-
dressed letter of inquiry to ex-senator
Reagan of Texas, who, it will be re-
membered, was the postmaster general
of the Confederacy. He has received
the following reply:
"The constitution of the Confederacy
required the post-office department to
be self-sustaining after March LIST, 1862.
You will find that the cost of the postal
service was paid out of its own reve~
nues from that date until the fall of the
Confederacy, with an increasing surplus
of revenue from year to year. Another
fact, if my memory serves me correctly,
which will interest you is that while
according to the roster of the depart
ment at Washington, the Confederate
department would have had about 11S
employees, it really had only about 3S,
tnC -BGltIhl HIlu
one messenger. This will be more
noticeable from the fact that the
territory OF the Confederacy was being
constantly expanded or contracted as
the result of success or defeat You will
also sec from, perhaps, my first report
that recommended the continuance of
the postmasters and contractors in the
service of the confederacy who were
then in the service of the United States,
IL they were willing TO accept service
under the oonfederacy, and this the
congress authorized me to do by procla-
nation. was authorized to commence
the postal service of the confederacy,
believe, June LIST, 1851. / directed the
postmasters of the confederacy to settle
their accounts with the department at
Washington and pay over to that de-
partment all moneys in their hands up
TO the date of the taking charge of the
service, and to turn over all property in
their hands to the United States govern
ment except mail bags and locks and
keys
"You will see that I stated as my
reasons for this that time might come
when there would be an adjustment of
troubles between the United States and
the Confederacy, when it would be i'm
portant to be able TO adjust the accounts
of the postmasters, and to know what
disposition had been made of the public
moneys, and that it would be unwise to
allow any time in which postmasters
would be responsible to no government
for the money in their hands, and
would subject them to temptation to
nj i,av Ia c,1ah tsonafrc ne oC,,r1a -,
using the ideas, not the language, en-
ployed. think that subsequently,, after
communication was closed with Wash
ington, the Confederate Congress enacted
that the money which should have been
paid TO the department at Washington,
but had not been so paid, should be used
to pay sums due mail contractors for SER
vices previously rendered the govern
ment of the United States. During the time
l was at the head of the postal service
of the Confederacy, three times made
careful revision of the system of mail
routes, looping off parallel routes, abol-
ishing useless routes, &C., and so greatly
reducing the cost of the service without
materially injunng it. These revisions
were among the most difficult and try
ing tasks have gone through, as the
mind had to hold almost whole sys-
tenn in its grasp throughout the labor.
Data in the department will show that
this had not been done since the times
of Postmaster-G General Kendall and Nc
Lean, who are said to have also person.
ally revised the post routes. 1t 80 hap
pened that Hon. Montgomery Blair,
Postmasters-general of the United States,
issued his proclamation suspending the
postal service OF that government on the
day | had previously set by proclama-
ton to take up the service by the Con-
federate government. Whether this was
by accident, or was done in view of the
policy had recommended for the Con
federacy, never knew"
Judge Reagan suggests that other in
teresting facts in the matter can be
CLEANED from the Confederate archives
containing his reports.