Augusta County: Michael G. Harman to General H. R. Jackson,
October 10, 1861
Summary:
Harman describes problems with the Quarter Master department and asks for help. He also
announces that he will be joining the 52nd Va. regiment shortly.
Letterhead: Confederate States of America. Head Quarters forces at Staunton, Va.
Genl. H.R. Jackson Commanding on Monterey Line
Confederate States of America Head Quarters Forces at Staunton, Va.
October 10, 1861
General-
Your letter by yesterday's express came to hand, & I have ordered & designated 13 four horse wagons & teams & two (two) horse teams & wagons to be turned over to do the transportation from Monterey to Greenbrier River. Would it not be well to take only 10 of these teams for the present until a good stock of grain & hay can be gotten out, or whenever you can spare the train let the whole train come in for a load of grain & hay.
You may depend upon it General that the Quarter Masters Department in the North West never can be managed with system & regularity until first rate business & experienced men are commissioned & placed at the important points on the line, & when commissioning they give security. Money can be drawn by them & many supplies purchased. Whereas when men are only occupying the place of assistants they are powerless & they probably never see their principal once in two months. Unless this Department is thoroughly organized on the different lines the Army must suffer greatly in the coming winter. You can judge of it by what your division has already suffered. I know you have enough to do without attending to these details.
I expect to join my regiment in 8 or 10 days & hope to get the Department in working order in your line before I left. I hope you will write a letter to the Secretary of War on the subject. I have placed Capt. Funkhouser on the road in charge of the Pony Express line & Capt Mason in charge of the repairs to the road, and a good business man is needed in the Quarter Masters Dept at Monterey whose duty should be to purchase all the supplies of forage &c & also see to the proper management of the wagons, horses &c, and also to have repair shops, blacksmith & wood shops at that point. I have written [illeg.] my views & I recd. a letter from General Lee yesterday which I enclosed to the Secretary of War stating the great difficulty about transportation on that line. I have urged this most important matter upon the War Department & if you concur with me hope you will urge it also. Would it not be well to have a commissioned Quarter Master at Greenbrier River also.
I am very respectfully M.G. Harman, Major Commanding
P.S. J. Whitmore the wagon master in charge of the train of 15 wagons turned over cars [illeg.] with the trains. & if you should order it in for corn & hay he is acquainted with this country.
