Lieutenant-General James Longstreet to General Robert E. Lee, February 14, 1865

[Confidential.]

HEADQUARTERS,

February 14, 1865.

General R. E. LEE,

Commanding:

GENERAL:  Recent developments of the enemy's designs seem to indicate an early concentration of his armies against Richmond. This, of course, must involve a like concentration on our part or the abandonment of our capital. The latter emergency would, I think, be almost fatal – possibly quite so, after our recent reverses. To concentrate here in time to meet the movements of the enemy, we shall be obliged to use the little of our southern railroad that is left to us in transporting our troops, so that we cannot haul provisions over that route. I fear, therefore, that we shall not be able to feed our troops unless we adopt extraordinary measures and efforts. I think that there is enough of the necessaries of life left in Virginia and North Carolina to help us through our troubles, if we can only reach them. Impressing officers, however, nor collectors of tax in kind, nor any other plan heretofore employed are likely to get these supplies in time or in quantities to meet our necessities. The citizens will not give their supplies up and permit their families and servants to suffer for the necessaries of life without some strong inducement, for each one may naturally think that the little he would supply by denying himself and family will go but a little way where so much is needed. He does not want Confederate money, for his meat and bread will buy him clothes, &c., for his family more readily and in much larger quantities than the money that the Government would pay.

The only thing, then, that will insure our rations and our national existence is gold. Send out the gold through Virginia and North Carolina and pay liberal prices, and my conviction is that we shall have no more distress for want of food. The winter is about over now, and the families can and will subsist on molasses, bread, and vegetables for the balance of the year, if they can get gold for their supplies. There is a great deal of meat and bread inside the enemy's lines that our people would bring us for gold, but they won't go to that trouble for Confederate money. They can keep gold so much safer than they can meat and bread, and it is always food and clothing. If the Government has not the gold, it must impress it; or if there is no law for the impressment, the gold must be taken without a law. Necessity does not know or wait for laws. If we stop to make laws in order that we may reach the gold, it will disappear the day that the law is mentioned in Congress. To secure it no one should suspect that we are after it until we knock at the doors of the vaults that contain it, and we must then have guards, to be sure that it is not made away with. It seems to my mind that our prospects will be brighter than they have ever been if we can only get food for our men, and I think the plan that I have proposed will secure the food. There seems to be many reasons for the opinion that the enemy deems our capital essential to him in order that he may end the war, as he desires. To get the capital, he will concentrate here everything that he has; and we surely are better able to fight him when we shall have concentrated than when we are in detachments. The Army of the West will get new life and spirit as soon as it finds itself alongside of this, and we will feel more comfortable ourselves to know that all are under one head and one eye that is able to handle them.

I remain, most respectfully and truly, your most obedient servant,

 J. LONGSTREET,

Lieutenant-General

SOURCES: The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volume 46, Part 2 (Serial No. 96), p. 1233-4; James Longstreet, From Manassas to Appomattox, p. 641-2

Court Decision

OTTAWA, May 19.

The Court reversed the judgment in the Wright case, deciding the law requiring the revenue to be collected and paid out in gold and silver alone, as obligatory now as it was previous to the passage of the act of Congress making treasury notes legal tender in payment of debts.  This is a subject exclusively within the control of our Legislature, and with which Congress as nothing to do.  The Legislature might require all revenues to be paid in gold alone or in silver, or corn or cattle, although gold and silver have always been legal tender in the payment of debts.  An opinion at length will be hereafter written.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Wednesday Morning, May 21, 1862, p. 1

From St. Louis

ST. LOUIS, May 14.

The steamer Emilie left this port to-day with 250 passengers, bound for the Bitter-Root Valley gold regions in Washington and Oregon Territories.

Among the passengers were the Treasurer and Directors of the American Mining and Exploring Company, who propose to commence mining operations in that region immediately on their arrival.

Andrew J. Vallandigham, a brother it is said, of the belligerent member of Congress from Ohio, is in custody of Col. Fitz Henry Warren, of Clinton, charged with horse-stealing, robbing and driving out Union Men, and marauding, Bushwhacking and jawhawking generally.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Saturday Morning, May 17, 1862, p. 1

From the South

PITMAN’S FERRY, Ark. 8.

Gentlemen who have been in the South since the commencement of the blockade, arrived here today.  They say they left Memphis two weeks since, coming to Jacksonport on the steam ram Hale, which arrived there last Tuesday; but her officers hearing that our troops were marching on that town, she immediately started down the river.  Our troops reach there the following evening.

Provisions, clothing, and all merchandise are very scarce, throughout the South.  Tennessee money is at a premium of 20 per cent., and gold 100 per cent.  Drafting for the army is going on regardless of position and money.  Union men are flying to the mountains and swamps.

Fort Pillow is the only defense on the Mississippi that is considered secure on the water side.

Price’s army has gone to Fort Pillow and Corinth.  The force at Corinth is supposed to be 100,000.  Fifteen boats are now at Little Rock, taking on board 12,000 Arkansas troops for Corinth.  The rivers have been very high, and Napoleon is now flooded.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Saturday Morning, May 10, 1862, p. 1

Senator John Sherman to Major General William T. Sherman, April 17, 1864

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 17,1864.

My Dear Brother:

. . . Our finances are bubbling up and down in that feverish state where a panic might easily come. Chase is a man of ability, but in recent measures he has failed. I have been generally the laboring one in the Senate, on these measures, though very often my judgment has been against them. I have felt like a subordinate officer, who, while he does not approve the plan of operations, yet deems it his duty fairly to execute his part of it rather than by fault-finding to impair it. The war is daily driving us to extraordinary measures, and our form of Government is not unit enough to carry them out. We are embarrassed by state banks, state laws, and local issues and interests. The other day a determined effort was made in New York to run gold up to 200, but was promptly met by a free sale by the Government of gold and exchange, and the movement failed. It was aided by this very bad news from Fort Pillow, not so bad from the loss of men, but from the question of retaliation raised by the massacre of negro troops. We all feel that we must either disband negro troops or protect them. It is fearful to think about the measures that may be necessary, but what else can we do? An investigation will be made by the Secretary of War and by Congress, and if the rebels are determined to massacre prisoners, then a new and terrible stage of this war will be commenced. . . .

Affectionately yours,

JOHN SHERMAN.

SOURCE: Rachel Sherman Thorndike, Editor, The Sherman Letters: Correspondence Between General and Senator Sherman from 1837 to 1891, p. 233-4

Arrival of the Edinburg

NEW YORK, May 6.

The Edinburg arrived this evening from Queenstown, 24th.

The Times of the 24th says, “Advices from America indicate the recent battle had no effect in creating the hope among the lending houses, that the termination of the war was at hand.  Shipments of gold were beginning to excite apprehension, and it would surprise no one to hear of a decree from Washington, prohibiting the export of specie.”

The Times announces the termination of is correspondence from the Potomac, and says that the President formally decided that Russell would not be permitted to avail himself of McClellan’s invitation to accompany the army; that the Federal Government fears independent criticism; that the hopes were desirous of carrying with them an historian whom the world would believe; that Russell would have been received with joy in the rebel camp.  But out of scrupulous regard for confidential trust, and fear of imputation that he would afford them useful information he returned to England.

LATEST.

Breadstuffs quiet and steady.  Provisions very dull.

LONDON, 24th. – Consuls closed 93 7-8a94 for money and account.  American stock dull.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Thursday Morning, May 8, 1862, p. 2

Later From California

The Rains continue -- Water again Rising.

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 1. – During the past thirty hours it has rained hard almost incessantly.  The storm still continues.  Yesterday noon the water at Sacramento commenced rising in, and a complete inundation of that city is unavoidable.  The area of land now overflowed in the State is 20 miles broad and 250 long, covering upwards of three millions acres, mostly arable land, a considerable portion being fenced and tilled.

It is estimated that forty five hundred cattle and sheep have been drowned since winter commenced.

The unprecedented succession of tremendous storms have washed the mining regions, where the ground was previously upturned and dug over, producing great changes, rendering a probable increase of gold product, from the placer diggings during the ensuing season.

SALT LAKE CITY, Jan 23. – Delegates assembled at Great Salt Lake City Jan. 22d and drew up a State Constitution, to be submitted to Congress.  Utah demands admission into the Union.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, February 1, 1862, p. 4