The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-08-13

earnestly urge tina Genera Beaure-
| gard should be sent there and this not
only because of the great confidence
felt In him, but also because OF the
very little reposed in General whiting.
Since the affair at Petersburg the good
opinions formed Of hat officer by the
apparent skill in the construction OF
the works around Wilmington has been
d~issspated to a painful extent"
September sth Vance asked Governor
Brown Of Georgia: rs there any pos
ton belonging to this state on your
Southwestern road towards Augusta"
September 18th is the late Of the fol-
lowing letter to Attorney General
Sion H. Rogers: Il enclose you the
proceedings in the case Of ]. R. Thomp-
son. s. Cobb. F. Hollywood. ]. ". Oliver,
j. Patrick, II. Basnight n S. Barker,
prisoners captured at Plymouth:
charged with treason and reasonable
transactions with the enemy. The Sec
rotary Of war requests me to have
them indicted for treason"
September 18th Vance sent two car
loads Of vegetables TO the North Carroll
ia troops near petersburg.
September 24th General Whiting call
ed on Vance for troops. He said 1T
no time was the force so needed TO de-
fend Wilmington. A large force was
needed. If the enemy cuts off the
forts no gallantry can save them" He
said he was informed on good author
ity that there were 10, 900 men in North
Carolina between the military ages,
4 NOT II, ~~r-to VIZ 80 49, 49,
forward?" said he. Let them come
out for three months until the winter
releaves some Of the veterans"
September 26th, Whiting asked Lee
for five veteran b~rigades." Lee re-
piled that Whiting mus rely for re-
Inducements pom the reserve forces
of the state and the increase in your
rank and file from the conscripts."
September 23rd Vance wrote all the
governors of the states this side of the
Mississippi, suggesting the propriety
of their meeting at Augusta, soon to
unite in such general recommendations
to the legislatures as they thought best.
The letter to Governor Caruthers, of
Tennessee, was sent to Governor.
Brown, Of Georgia, who wrote: Il don't
know where to sen it, so send it to
1CuC dl N1tICuS u. III, VI 1cuICS.
see, who commands the post at Macon,
and ask him to toward it. 1t is prob
ably not known TO you h a General
Caruthers has never been inaugurated
and that Governor Isham G.. Harris is
still tlhe governor Of Tennessee. Gen.
eral Wright is his brother-in-law."
October 18th, Jasper w. Davis, clerk
and master for Stokes county while on
a visit to Richmond was seized and put
in the Toombs. Vance demanded and
got his release.
General Whiting said that the ILL
advised course of the government in
sending the gunboat Tallahassee to sea
from Wilmington had cost the confed-
rates ten vessels, "besides the loss Of
your noble Advance"
Mote. This concludes the extracts
from the Vance letter books. There
are two volumes of them. They are
copies, the originals being in the war
department at Washington. The copies
are admirably written, by war depart
ment clerks, n clerk writing each
book, There are in all over 1000 let
ters and kilograms. The conclusion Of
1S64-5 was given in a letter dated June
22nd, before the decision was made to
go through both volumes. The end is
abrupt, the las letter bearing date Of
March,, 1865, and being to the secre-
tary of war asking for the subject mat
ter of certain secret communications
made by President Davis to congress.
1t is to be observed that a great many
references are made to blockade run
ming operations and to the sales of
rosin and cotton bonds, or rattle war
rants in England. No statement is
given of the mount. What was the
balance to the states credit in Eng
land? Many people have asked that
question. 1t was said once over $780,
OOO.1
In the letter book of w. w. Holden,
provisional; governor Of North Carolina
under date of June 20, 1865, appears
the following:
Old Capitol Prison,
Washington, D. c., une 80, 1865.
Hon. E. NJ. Stanton, Secretary Of War:
Sir: I have the honor to transmit to
you the enclosed communication from
Governor T.. B. Vance to Governor w.
w. Holden, thinking it necessary that
it should pass through your hands.
Very respectfully.
Your Obedient servant,
N. T. COLBY.
1t. Col. Commanding.
War Department June Fl, 1865.
Respectfully reported to the COM
handing general, department Of North
Carolina. The enclosed letter may be
delivered to its address.
JAS. A. HARDIE,
Inspector General, U. S. A.
Old Capital Prison,
Washington, June Is, 1865.
His Excellency, w. w. Holden, Ra-
leigh, N. c.:
Sir: Seeing that you are making
disposition of the state property for
the purpose of meeting the interest on
the public debt, I deem it my duty to
inform you that there is a considera-
BILE sum to the credit Of the state in
England. An approximate estimate
of the amount al be obtained from
Major John Devereux or the precise
amount, I presume, from Mr.. John