ing its agents to dispatch arms and munitions of war. In April, 1863, twenty thousand Enfield rifle bayonets were wanted as soon as possible. On the 6th of May "one hundred and fifty thousand bayonets" were wanted, and "lead and saltpeter in large quantities." On the 1st of June, Walker is ordered to send "paper for making cartridges by the first boat;" "if there is none on hand send immediately to Major Huse to buy a large quantity." Two days later he was ordered to send "Colt's pistol-caps as soon as possible." They were wanted for Lee, who was preparing to move to ward Gettysburg. 93 6 Walker shows in all this emergency a fear of being crippled for want of coal. On the 21st of March he was arranging for a cargo in the port of Bermuda. On the 29th of March he writes that he has purchased that cargo, and wants more. On the 16th of May he urges Huse to send coal. "Every steamer takes from one hundred and sixty to one hundred and eighty tons." He has but six hundred tons left. On the 23d of May he again calls attention "most earnestly to the 1 Gorgas to Huse, Vol. VII, page 51. 2 Same to same, May 6, Vol. VII, page 51. 3 Gorgas to Walker, Vol. VII, page 54. 4 Same to same, Vol. VII, page 54. 5 Walker to Huse, 21 March, Vol. VII, page 50. 6 Same to same, Vol. VII, page 50. Same to same, May 16, 1863, Vol. VII, page 52. Cotton ship ments. ments. 1 Cotton ship- importance of keeping him supplied with good steam coal." He "hopes that some are already on the way." His "stock is almost exhausted." On the 30th of June he cries "send us coal, coal, coal! Each steamer takes one hundred and eighty tons, so that six hundred tons will be quickly consumed." Again on the 9th of July he writes The insurgent 2 coal, coal, coal. Send me two thousand tons. The Lee, I fear, will be laid up for the want of it. You may calculate that each steamer will take one hundred and eighty tons." He wrote also to Fraser, Trenholm & Co., to the same effect, saying that there should be a "reserve there of at least three or four thousand tons."4 Shipments were made, and the supplies reached him before there was any serious detention of the blockade-runners. He was enabled to fulfill all the orders given in Richmond a short time before the advance of Lee's army into Pennsylvania. In spite of the countenance given by the authorGovernment inter-ities in Bermuda and Nassau, funds could not be ested in blockade running. forwarded fast enough to Major Huse to meet the 1 Same to same, Vol. VII, page 53. the Mercantile Trading Company for an advance The insurgent Government in ade running. of £150,000, to be extended to £300,000, for the terested in block- 1 Memorandum made in London July 23, 1863, Vol. VI, page 136. The insurgent gents, and one-third by the British contractors. Government in terested in block- The insurgents were to pay for their two-thirds in ade running. cotton, at Charleston, and were to be allowed commissions for their part of the work, the other contracting parties having a similar allowance. The portion of the proceeds of cotton belonging to the insurgents was "to be paid to the credit of the War Department with Messrs. Fraser, Trenholm & Co., of Liverpool." The insurgents were to furnish officers to command the vessels. The document was signed by "C. E. Thorburn," and by "Chas. H. Reid & Co.," and by "The Mercantile Trading Co., Limited; Edgar P. Stringer, Managing Director, London, 23d September, 1863."1 Mr. Thorburn was a shareholder in the Trading Company, and on the 3d October Mr. Stringer is found corresponding with him about the purchase of these vessels.3 Meanwhile the operations of the insurgents at Nassau and Bermuda had gone on with even more vigor than during the previous year. Huse's credit had been strained to the utmost, but was now restored. The purchases and supplies for the Quartermaster's Department appear to have been transferred during this summer exclusively to Nassau. Seixas was instructed to place one thousand bales of cotton at Nassau for the Quar2 Vol. VI, page 144. 3 Vol. VI, page 143. 1 Vol. VI, page 140. Government in termaster's Department, before the close of theThe insurgent year, and was told that "the wants of the Quarter- terested in blockmaster General are at Nassau, not Bermuda." Heyliger diligently complied with his instructions to forward quartermaster's stores. On the 29th October he sent 40 tons by the "Antonica," Margaret," and "Jessie." On the 2d November he shipped by the "Hansa" 19 tons; the next day by the " Beauregard" 40 or 50 tons; and a large quantity by the "Alice;" and on the 5th November he sent 20 tons by the "Banshee." The "Margaret" and the "Jessie" were captured; the others ran the blockade. The Quartermaster's Department was much employed in collecting and forwarding cotton to meet these purchases.2 Major Ferguson was in Liverpool at this time as an agent for the purchase of quartermaster's stores, and was sending large amounts forward. Fraser, Trenholm & Co. refused his drafts, because Heyliger had already overdrawn the Quartermaster's account. Ferguson thereupon wrote, urging that cotton should be forwarded. "I have," he says, 3 แ more faith in cotton than I ever had. If we can but get that out, we can buy all England, for most 1 Bayne to Seixas, September 29, 1863, Vol. VI, page 139. 2 Bayle to Lawton, November 13, 1863, Vol. VI, page 147. 3 Fraser, Trenholm & Co. to Lawton, November 26, 1863, Vol. VI, page 149. ade running. |