Summary:
This May 1862 letter informs General Joseph E. Johnston of the supply situation
facing his Confederate army outside Richmond. It discusses available supplies
from Staunton and the Valley.
Gen. JOSEPH E. JOHNSTON:
RICHMOND, VA.,
May 13, 1862
DEAR GEN.:
I have been in conference several hours with the not succeeded in procuring much information, yet I conclude to send you a courier and give such information as they furnished.
There is ten day's rations now in Richmond for about 70,000 men. He proposes to send off at once to Burkeville Junction, Southside and Danville roads, and Ashland, on Fredericksburg road, a part of this supply. He has at Lynchburg, 5,000,000 of rations that can be placed at any point on either side of James River south and west of Richmond as fast as cars can take it. He expects to get 10,000 head of cattle from the valley division within our reach very soon. In fine, he says that there is no trouble about feeding your army for ninety days, if you will indicate where your line will be south and west of Richmond in case we should be forced to give up the city.
Col. Northrop don't know anything about the supply about Staunton. Ewell and Jackson are supplied from the country about them. In addition to your army, he says 20,000 rations are issued here. The army south of James River does not draw from her, and will not at present, provided they saved the supply at Norfolk.
Col. Northrop insists, if you can reoccupy Northern Virginia and the Potomac about Loudoun, that 100,000 men can be supplied from that country. This I doubt.
I am to talk with the flour and bacon merchants to-night, and will be able to give you better data to-morrow. I will follow the thing up, although I find Col. Northrop very much disinclined to give information; he seems to consider it his patent article.
The gunboats (five) were at City Point at 11 a. m. to-day, making soundings and surveying.
In haste, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
A. H. COLE,
Maj., C. S. P. A.
Bibliographic Information : Letter Reproduced from The War of The Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series 1, Volume 11, Serial No. 14, Pages 513, Broadfoot Publishing Company, Wilmington, NC, 1997.
