Today in History:

552 Series I Volume XLIX-I Serial 103 - Mobile Bay Campaign Part I

Page 552 KY., S. W. VA., TENN., N. & C. GA., MISS., ALA., & W. FLA.

from there to Ashville, west of the Coosa. With the Twelfth Ohio I shall start from here to-morrow morning and march by Van Wert and Cederatown to Bennettsville, on Will's Creek. Each of the there columns will carry along enough forage and rations from the Chattahoochee (the Fifteent Pennsylvania from Atlanta) to take it across the exhausted belt, excepting the Tent Michigan, which will scarcely find it necessary to do so. On arriving west of the Coasa, all intersecting and cross roads will be guarded from Coxville, in Will's Valley, south to Wilsonville, on the Tallandega Railroad. The Tenth Michigan will communicate with U. S. forces at Montgomery, and request that the line from Wilsonville to Montgomery be guarded by them. I have received no orders from you since the one to follow Davis, until I believed further search useless, and I am acting upon that. The shorters way to communicate with me at Bennttsville will be, probably, by telegraph to Huntsville, thence by courier, or if the gun-boats are running on the Tennessee River the shorters way will be courier from Guntersville to Bennettsville. I shall endeavor to communicate by that route when I get west of the Coasa. In regard to the Confederate specie, I am satisfied that Davis has not now any considerable amount with him. Major Millsap, of Major-General Loring's staff, states that in the council of war held in General Johnston's army, General Johnston called on Secretary Breckinridge for specie to pay his army, they not having been paid for more than a year. In presence of the entire council Breckinridge replied that the Government had not more than $60,000 actually belonging to it. That $40,000 was on hand, that $20,000 was or would be transferred to Commissary Department for the purchase of provisions. It is estimated that the Confederate Government may have had in its possession some $32,000, the property of different Southern banks, including those of New Orleans, removed from various points to avoid capture, it having been the original intention to return these funds when the danger of falling into our hands should have passed away. As Davis passed through North Carolina the funds belonging to the banks of that State were, it is said, left at Charlotte, at the instance of Governor Vance. That belonging to South Carolina banks was no doubt left at or Abbeville, and that belonging to Georgia and New Orleans was either left and concealed at Washington or shipped by railroad from that point. The soldiers and people were impressed with the idea that Mr. Davis had a very large amount of Government specie with him, and they were becoming exasperated that it was not distributed in payment of the troops. It was probably as much to appease this feeling as anything else that prompted the payment of specie to Dibrell's cavalry, and at the time these were the only troops not formally surrendered or disbanded. This payment probably took most of the public funds. It seems probable that little specie crossed the Savannah River, for if Davis felt it necessary to have a division of cavalry to guard his train, he would not be apt to move that train without guard then he found it impracticable to take his cavalry escort across the Savannah River. General Bragg states that no specie came this side of Washington, Ga. I also have the honor to report that General Iverson was captured by a detachment of the Twelfth Ohio, near his home at Lawrenceville. As I had good reason to believe that he was not a trans-Mississippi man, and it being difficult to take him with us, I paroled him. A detachment of my command, which passed through Crawfordsville a few days ago, found Mr. Alexander H. Stephens at his home. Howell Cobb is at his home in Athens. The people all want peace and provisions, and appear strongly opposed to


Page 552 KY., S. W. VA., TENN., N. & C. GA., MISS., ALA., & W. FLA.