Richmond, VA
September 1865
General,
At your request I have the honor to make the following statements from the best data I could obtain. On the 1st April 1865 the Substance Bureau of the Confederate States had available for the Army of N. Va.
at Richmond 300,000 rations bread & meat
" Danville 500,000 " " " Danville 1,500,000 " " " Lynchburg 180,000 " "
" Greensboro, NC and the vicinity of Danville were in addition, not less than 1,500,000 rations of bread and meat. There were also at the fronts, above named large supplies of tea, coffee, and sugar, which were reserved chiefly for issues to hospitals. These supplies were held ready for distribution upon the requisition of the chief comissary of Genl Lee's Army. No requisitions were then on hand unsupplied.
On the morning of 2' April 1865, the Chief Comissary of Gen'l Lee's army was asked by telegram, what should be done with the stores in Richmond. No reply was received until night. He then suggested that if Richmond was not safer they might be sent up on the R & Danville R Road. As the evacuation of Richmond was then actively progressing, it was impractible to move those supplies. For many months previously, the Army wagon trains had been employed in collecting subsistence throughout the country and hauling directly to the army near Petersburg. No report of those collections was ever made directly to the Bureau so no estimate can be made of the amount of stores held in that way on or about the 1st April/65.
In reply to your question with regard to the establishment of a Depot of Supplies at Amelia Ct. House, I have to say that I had no information of any such requisition or demand upon the Bureau.
During the month of March & up to the 1st of April, 65, the combined (efforts) of our own officers and those of the Volunteer Commissariat kept all of the sub-Depots on the lines of the R Road in VA nearly always full-the means of transportation were constantly inadequate.
Very respectfully,
Yr Obt Svt
Thos. G. Williams
(late) Lt. Col. Act.-Ast. Comy Genl.
C.S. Army
To: Genl. I.M. St. John
(late) Comy. Genl. &
C.S.A.
A Co Copy of