The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-06-15

blockade, and actually forced the state
to sell a half interest in its own block
ade runner, the Advance" 1t Is fur
Their shown that this blockader was
forced to take out and bring in cargoes
for private parties and there are more
or less broad hints OF speculation.
Against all this Governor Vance pro-
| tested and chafed like a lion. Then the
Advance" was captured by a block
| aiding vessel. She was using coal from
| the mine then known as the Egypt"
| mine. On the 2Sth of December Secrera-
| ry Of the Navy Mallory wrote Governor
| Vance a letter which produced the fol-
| lowing spirited answer: Your letter
| with enclosures relative to the loss of
| the Advance is received. / stated that
| the loss of the Advance was due to the
| appropriation of her coal for the steam
| ers of the / made this
| statement of which you complain, de-
l~iberately and upon authority which /
regard as reliable, and think / have
been sustained by the facts. To the
| common heap of coal the Adcanve con
| tributed, and yet when she came TO
| sail the government had taken all the
coal and she had to 60 with North
| Carolina coal The coal was actually
| applied to the use of the ~allahaSSe
just as l charged. 1 call your atten-
ton to the certificate of Mr.. Savage,
collector of the port of Wilmington,
| showing there was no gold on the Ad-
| vance when she vas captured. / do
this because of the appearance OF an
article in the Richmond Sentinel, SAID
to have been written under the aus
piceS of the navy department, in which
it was alleged that her was a large
amount of gold on this vessel, the nOn-
| appearance of which was supposed to
account in part for her capture. Like
yo,s, sir, / do not care to discuss the
policy of our government in regard to
our armed cruisers and rum
hers generally. If 1 did 1 might cite
the recent formidable attack upon Viii
mington, from which alone We We're
delivered by the providence of God, as
a full confirmation of my opinions.
| GGovernor Vance had protested against
the sending out from Wilmington of
the Tallahassee, declaring it only irri-
tated the federals and caused attacks
I on this stated I might ask if one of
| the three vessels which lately entered
Wilmington loaded with bacon was
not of greater benef to the confedera-
| cy, even though it was the enterprise
Of gamblers than the destruction of
all the enemy's vessels at sea men,
toned in the list you enclose. My OPP
| position to the policy of this govern
ment is not based upon anything fac
l lIOuS, VI oily IC6dIu " liz I 81 vi
men who have been making fortunes
| by running the blockade, whether ma
| tive Or foreign. / never made objection
to their being placed under such re-
strictiOns as the government thought
| proper, but why a state struggling for
the common good to clOthe and provide
for it's troops in the public service
should meet with no more favor than
a blockade gambler passes my compre-
hensiOn."
January 18th Governor Vance wrote
President Davis this letter: Il beg
cave most cordially to join in the rec
| o~mmendation which l take for grant
| ed has been made by his superior Off
GERS, of Colonel William Lamb, COM
| handing Fort Fisher, for promotion. I
was near by during the recent attack
on the defences Of Wilmington, and
people and soldiers alike were enthu-
| siastic in praise of his skill and gall
| lantry. Presenting that the official re-
| ports have done justice to his soldieriy
qualities, I mainly desire to asSur you
! that our people wOuld gladly see him
mad "a bridadier general for North
! Carolina, though not a citizen thereof
General Whiting wrote Governor
Vance January 4, 1865, that he needed
l DIS large d lOIcS Ol I6e ueSlOtS DIS pOS-
| sible to work on the forts, and hat he
! desired to let the slaves return to their
| masters. He suggested IAN enrolled
corps of 1, 200 to 800 free negroes, prop
| erly organized into companies accord
ing to regulations, entitled to furlough,
fed clothed and paid" With these he
| would guarantee the exemption of slave
labor.
This state after the government had
broken up it's salt works, hired an en-
| gineer and cars to haul salt from Salt
Vile, Va. The board OF public works
Of Virginia coolly seized this train.
The legislature of this state promptly
adopted a resolution d~enouncing this
and Governor Vance notified Governor
Smith, of Virginia, that he had for
hidden the expectation of articles of
Virginia upon North Carolina rail-
way
January 18th Secretary of War Sed-
don was notified by Vance that the
North Carolina legislature had directed
the purchase of 5000, 900 worth of cot
on or tobacco and it's shipment for
the relief of prisoners of war in north
ern prisons, who are in great suffering
and want"
Colonel Peter Mallett. commanding
conscripts, reported to December l.
1864, that there were in the state ex-
empt from military service 5,133 state
officers and 1885 by reason of disa-
bility.
February 1855, Governor Vance
wrote General Bradley T. Johnson the
following letter: Most distressing &C
counts reach me Of hi suffering and
restitution of the Yankee prisoners un-
der your charge in the prison at Sails
bury. If the half be true it is disgrace
full to our humanity and will provoke
severe retaliation. / hope, however. it
is not so bad as represented, but lest
it be so l hereby tender you any aid
in my power to afford to make their
condition more tolerable. ! know the
great scarcity of food which prevails,
but shelter and warmth can certainly
be provided and 1 can spare you some
clothing if the Yankees will deliver as
much to North Carolina troops in
-ortho~r rrico-r Dlnocn Lot mo hao~