Duke University Libraries D03212070F «•"' ^ ,,u^" ^ _ .^ <^ ^^- SENATE, Feb. 16, I860.— Laid on the table, and ordered to be printed. MESSAGE OF THE PRESIDENT. Richmond, Va., Feb. 15, 1S65. Tu the Senate of th" ionj'edenite States : In partial response to yonr resolution of the *24th ultimo, I herewith transmit coniMinnications from the Secretary of the Navy and the Postmaster General, relative to the number of white men between the ages of 1 > and 45, and of negroes, wliose services are necessary to their respective Departments, The Secretary of War has been called on to furnish rejtorts on This subject from the several bureaux s|>«'('ified in yonr resolution; which will be transmitted when received. JEFFERSON DAVIS. COMMUNP NATION FROM SECRETARY OF THE NAVY. Confederate States of Amekha, Navy Dkpaktment, lUc/iinonil, Feb. 7, ]>i)5. To ihf. President : Sir: In response to the second clause of the following resolu- tion of the Siiuate, referred by you to this Department for attention-:— "ResolvL'd, Tliat the President of the Confeds'rate States ot Amer rica be respectlnll}' re(|nested fo furnish the Senate — First — With intbrmation as to the nuniber of white men bc^twceri the ages of eighteen and forty-five, and of the number «»f negroes, who, in addition to their own officers, may be required for the ne- cessary employments and pro|)er dischaige of the functions (jf the Departments of ]\Iedicin«', of the Couauissary General, of tlie Qua. - termaster General, of the Engineer, of the Ordnance, ami ot il-e Nitre and Mining Bureaux. Secondly — A like estimate as to the Post Office aii'i Xaw De- partments. Thirdly — A like estimate in regard to the rail road tr;iu>jioni,:ion of the country, including not only the working, but the et|uij)uient, jt^pairsand construction, in his consideration ot tije numi/ r r<-i[ui!ed for such transportation. Fourthly — To specify the rail roads, if there be any such, whose repairs and construction, in his opinion, will be necessary for military purposes, and ought to be effected, in whole or in part, by appro- priations from the confederate treasury" — I liave the lionor to suljniit tlie acconjpanying statements of the number of white meuj artisans, experts, &c. between tlie ages of eighteen and forty-five, and of the number of negroes " required for thi) ne- cessary employments and the proper discharge of the functions of the Departments" of construction and rei»airs of vessels, 'boats, &c.; of construction and repairs of steam machinery; of ordnance; of medicine, and of provisions and clothing : For the Construction and Repairs of Vessels at all Points within the Confederate States. Virfiinia, . . - . North Carolina, South Carolina, ... Gi^orgia, - - . . Alabama, - . . . Whit<* Men be I ween 18 and 45. Negroes. > 100 75 50 25 80 120 50 30 20 60 3:50 280 For the Construction and Repairs of Steam Machinery. ■ Richmond, - Columbus, Ga. - White Men between 18 and 45. Negroes. 48 95 43 93 14;! ]3() Ordnance. Virgrinia, North Carolina, Alabama, South Carolina, Private establishments ordnance work, - employed on White Men between 18 and 45. Negroes. ' 115 198 150 20 49 42 139 300 30 30 532 541 % Medical Department. In Hospitals, at Batteries, on Ship Board, and in the Medical Purveyor's: Department. SfC White men between 18 and 45, Negroes, - - . 52 56 Department of Provisions and Clothing. "White men between ]8 and 45, Negroes, ... 25 Recapitulation. Construction and repairs of vessels. Construction and repairs of steam niachinerj, Ordnance, _ . . Medical Department, Provisions and clothing, AVhjte Men • ' between Negroen. 18 and 4.5. ;i30 280 J43 136 5;{-> 541 52 56 ','5 13(1 10H2 1143 The force of meclianics required by this Department will depend much upon the movements of the enemy. If our works shall be exempt from interruption, a much larger force than estimated for can be very usefully employed. All our white mechanics and workmen are under military organization, armed and equipped for service, and are frequently called into active service. With great respect, Your obedient servant, S. R. MALI^ORY, Secntury of the Navy. .4 COMMUNICATION FROM POSTMASTER GENERAL. Post Office Department, Ric/imond, Vu., Feb. 8, ls(j.5. To the President: Sir: In answer to your Excelloney's reference of so niurli of the Senate's resolution of Januaiy •24:tU, as a]>[)lies to the Post Office Departnient, which is as follows, to wit: " Resolved, That th(! President of the Confederate States of Ame- rica, be respectfully requested to furnish the Senate — First — With information as to the nmiiber of white men between the ages of eighteeu and foily-five, and of the number of negroes, who, in addition to thcdi' own ofHcers, may be i-equired for the neces- sary employments and the proper discharge of the functions of the • ' * * * Post Office and Navy Departments" — I have the honor to say, that this Department has no means of mak- ing an explicit aisswi^- to the enquiry submitted, by reason of the fact that, though contractors for carrying the mails on routes over tt'H miles iu length, and the necessary drivers of post coaches and hacks, are exempted from the perfornjance of military duty by the act uf April 14tli, ISG;}, the nuujbei' of persons actually exempted, as will be Sf^'u from the facts herein aftei- to be stated, does not cor- respond with the number which iuight be exempted under the law. As the nearest approximation to an answer in relation to contrac- toi-s and drivers, which the Department is enabled to give, I submit the following table, which shows the numl>er «»f routes under con- tract east of the Mississipj)i river; the number of routes discontinued ; i^he uumlx'r undei' ten miles in length, on which no exeniptions are allowed; the number of routes which have been transferred from the original contractors, on which exemptions are not allowed; and the number of routes let to persons who are contractors on other routes, and are only entitled to exemption on one route — with a column ^liowing the toial number of routes on whicli no exem[)tions can be allowed, and another showing the total number of routes on which exemptions might be made, given by States au;i in the aggregate : ...;r ' i n3 s 4^ 5 ^ QL ■a V ■^ .£ - S«2 s "2 Hi ? 2 o. X ■■, V.'" X ■^ *« «52 «sr. STATES. "; - z ^ ~-~ c 5 c s „ •- a It! /5 ^ t^ "^1 v< c -^ ore c iz; K a k5 " E- H <= - VirjifiiiiH,, - - - - yr>;j _ 19 () 19 44 2U9 N'udi Oirolina, ... 2-M 1 8 If) 10 'M 264 S'ititli Caiolina, ... 124 1 5 17 18 4! 83 (ie(>r^''i;i, .... ]-i - Vi 8 23 4:5 141 Fkivida, - - - - ;!6 - •2 - - 2 34 Alubama. - - . - IT" - h> :« 54 J21 Mi.'?is)!ssii)pi, ]:;•) - ■' 1 51 58 81 Totals, l:2(iy 2 54 66 154 276 933 With this table, I submit the following copy of a communication from the Bureau of Conscription, showing the number of persons now actually exempted as njail contractors and as drivers of post coaches and hacks : Confederate States of America, War Department, Bureau of Conscription, Richmod, Va., Feb. 3, IS65. Hon. John H. Reagan, Postfnostcr General: 8iR : I have the honor, in the absence of Brig. Gen. Preston, to acknowledge the receipt of your connnunication of this date, re- questing to be informed of the nuuiber of mail contractors and drivers exempted, and I enclose herewith, a tabulated statement conveying the information desired. I am, sir, very respectfully, Your obedient servant, (Signed) C. B. DUFFIELD, A. A. G. 8f Acting Supt. Number of Persons Exempted as Mail Contractors, Drivers of Post Coaches and Hacks. Mail Contractors. Drivers. Total. Virginia. .... North I'arolina, ... youth Carolina, ... Georgia, .... Mi.^-sir-siinji, - . . - Alabau.a, .... Florida .... Ertst Louisiana, East 'J'euiiessee, 138 99 47 106 '29 4ti 8 2 2 72 47 10 11 19 1 210 146 :,7 117 29 H5 9 2 2 Totals, 477 WO 6:37 There are in this Department tw^enty clerks and one messenger between the ages of eighteen and forty-five years. Of this number, eight have been wounded and so disabled in battle as to be rendered unfit for military duty, and have been discharged, or otherwise honor- ably r(>tired from the militnry service. Seven have been declared unfit for military duty by the proper military authorities, in conse- quence of permanent physical disability; and six would be able to perform military duty, but have been detailed, by the proper military authorities, at the request of the Postmnster General, on account of their long experience and special skill in the performance of their respective duties in this Department. The remainder of the clerks of this Department are men over fifty 5'eiirs of tige, and women. There are in the Post Otfice of this city thirty-four clerks. Of these, fifteen are women; four are nnfit for military duty, and recom- mended by the military board for light duty; four are under the age of eighteen, and two are over the age of forty-five, leaving only nine clerks fit for active service in the field. These are all experienced clerks, whose places cannot be supplied, and who are absolutely necessary to the proper management of the office. Those clerks in the Richmond Post Office, who are between the ages of eighteen and forty-five, have been detailed, upon application by the Postmaster General, made in pursuance of General Orders, No. 77, of the Adjutant and Inspector General's office, on the ground of their services being " absolutely indispensable." Similar applica- tions have been made for the detail of certain clerks, between those ages, in the larger post offices in the States east of the Mississippi river, who have been certified by the postmasters to be experts, and necessary to the efficiency of their offices. The Department is not aware whether all of these details have been granted, nor has it any means of knowing how many of those for whom they have been asked, are able-bodied men, or how many are unfit for military duty. Care has been taken, however, in applying for these details, to limit them to the smallest number consistent with the efficient management of the important interests connected with the distribution and delivery of the njails in the larger post offices. The following is a statement of the number of clerks, for whose details application has been made by this Department, and of the post offices in which they are employed, viz: Virsinui. — In the Post Office at Lynchburg, one clerk. In the Post Office at Petersburg, two clerks. Nort/t Carolina. — Fayetteville, one clerk ; Raleigh, two clerks ; and Wilmington, three clerks. iSoufh Carolina. — Charleston, two clerks ; Columbia, three clerks. Georcria — Columbus, one clerk; Macon, one clerk; and Augusta, six clerks. Alabama. — Mobile, one clerk ; and Montgomery, one clerk. Mississippi. — For the Post Office at Jackson, one clerk; and at Brandon, one clerk. Application has also been made, under General Orders, No. 77, above referred to, for the details of the route agents of this Depart- ment, between the ages of eighteen and forty-five, engaged in its service on certain rail roads in the States herein after to be named. It is probable, although the Department has no knowledge of the fact in all cases, that all of these details have been made by the proper military authorities. Upon the faithful discharge of the duties entrusted to these officers, depend greatly the efficient distribution and delivery of th« mails along the most important rail road lines in the country ; and it is necessary, in addition to intelligence aiid busi- ness qualifications, that they should be, as far as practicable, skilled and experienced in those duties. It may be well to add, that many of them are old and reliable agents, who have been in the employ- ment of this and the okl government for many years. No route agents have been appointed since the passage of the first Isl'w of con- scription, except such as have been found for light duty by competent boards, or who liave been able to present satisfactory evidence that they were unfit for active service in the field. The number of route agents, whose details have been asked for by this Department, is as follows, viz: For Virginia, 10; for North Carolina, 9; for South Carolina, 2; for Georgia, 15 — Total 36. Recapitulation. No. of employees of Post Office Department proper, whose details have been applied for under General Orders, N«. 77, A. & I. G. O., twenty clerks and one messenger, - 21 No. of clerks in larger post offices, - - - 39 No. of route agents, - - - - - 36 96 From this total of 96 must be taken fifteen clerks in this De- partment, who have been declared by the military boards unfit for military duty, by reason of wounds, disability, &c., and four clerks in the Richmond Post Office — making in all, ....--. 19 Leaving number of men detailed, as above stated, who may be, so (iir as is known to this Department, liable to military service, -------77 This number would doubtless be materially decreased, for the reasons already given, if thr Department were in possession of such accuiate information with regard to the liability of these parties, as it would be proper to embody in a report of this kind. I also submit the following extracts from the report of Dr. James H. Starr, Agent of the Post Office Department for the States west of the JMississippi river, as the only approximation to the inlormation called for by the resolution, wliieli it is in my power to give, as to the country beyond the INIississippi. And I beg to call especial atten- tion to it, as showing the indisjiensable necessity of preserving the exeni[)tion from military duty to contractors for carrying the mails there, as the only means of keeping in operation the postal service. The mails on the great truid^ r"utes west of the Mississippi are carried mainly in post coaches and hacks, and not on rail roads, as on this side of that river. I need not call attention to the calamitous consequences which would necessarily flow from depriving a people, so remote from the capital, ot" tlie means of postal communication. Extract from the Rej)ort of James H. Starr, Agent of the Post OJice Dtjiarttnent, Trails- Mississippi, to the Postmaster General^ October 31sf, 1864. " Prior to the organization of the Agency, the occupation by the enemy of a portion of the States west of the Mississippi river, and the devastating effects of their various expeditions into the interior, had broken up mail connnunicntions in large portions of Arkansas and Louisiana and a small part of Texas, resulting in the suspension of service on about ] 15 of 138 of the routes in the State of Arkan- sas; on about 150 of the 170 routes in the State of Louisiana; and about 42 of the 2\o routes in the State of Texas. Some purtion of these results were attributable to the want of fi^rage in the vicinity of our own armies, and the presence of banditti near the enemy's lines, and ii» sparsely po})ulated and unprotected localities. " In addition to these facts, and owing to tlie embarrassing inter- ruption of mail comumnication with the Department at Richmond, whitvli hns existed from the time when the enemy obtained possession of the Mississi[)pi river, and consequent inability of the Department to obtain evidence upon which the accounts of contractors could be adjusted and the amounts