Charles Russell to B. Bloomfield, June 11, 1863

Maj. B. BLOOMFIELD, Chief Quartermaster, &c., San Antonio:

Masor: Yours, inclosing circular orders from Quartermaster-General for distribution, received.

General Bee and staff left on Suncay for Louisiana, and I am busily engaged in closing up my business preparatory to joining them. Before leaving, however, I desire to arrange all business connected with the department, and to provide for the liquidation of outstanding debts contracted before my arrival, most of which were payable in specie. You are not aware, perhaps, of the fact that it has been customary here to purchase forage, wood, &c., for specie, payable from the fund realized from the specie tax on cotton crossing the Rio Grande. The order prohibiting the collection of this specie tax or exchange has left the department indebted to a great many different persons in small amounts, and it is not only a source of great annoyance, but materially interferes with the procurement of these supplies, parties being unwilling to continue to furnish until paid. As you are aware, I have no means of getting specie but through Major Hart, who, up to this time, has utterly failed to accomplish anything; only 75 bales of cotton on his account has reached this place up to this time, and his agent, as well as myself, know nothing of what efforts are being made in the interior. Under these circumstances, I have determined to make an effort to consolidate these small debts by negotiating a loan based upon cotton delivered to me in the interior, and enter into contracts by

94 W. FLA., 8. ALA., S. MISS., L. A., TEX., N. MEX. [Caar. XX XVIII.

which the department will be supplied without the necessity of contracting innumerable debts.

I have to-day written to General Magruder fully in regard to the condition of affairs on the Rio Grande, and earnestly requested him to adopt some plan by which the evil could be remedied. For the past six months the troops in this line have been supplied by merchants at Matamoras and Brownsville upon the promise of Major Hart that cotton would commence arriving in April in quantities sufficient to reimburse them and enable us to procure our supplies on a different basis. They have waited patiently up to this time, and have not yet received one bale of cotton. As I before remarked, only 75 bales have reached here, while thousands of bales arrive daily belonging to Jews and speculators, and it is impossible for me to satisfactorily explain how this class of people succeed, and a Government officer, with all the privileges and powers that he desires, should fail. These creditors have waited patiently, and have evinced a degree of patriotism and confidence in the Government truly commendable, but it cannot long continue, and unless something is done the result must be disastrous. I regard this as the most important point for the procurement of supplies in the Confederacy, but to make it available the credit of the Government must be sustained.

Two English ships, laden with army supplies, purchased under contract with English houses by some of the numerous Government agents, have been lying at tne mouth of the river for three weeks. Their supercargoes have been trying to find some one to receive the cargo and deliver the cotton. There is no officer here who knows anything of the transaction, and not one bale of cotton with which to make the payment. The result is, that they have concluded to sail for Nassau, and dispose of the cargo upon such terms as they can. I examined their invoices, and the articles are absolutely necessary. Four others are hourly expected, and unless something is done in the interior to require officers and agents charged with forwarding cotton to discharge this duty, they will also have to return, thus depriving us of absolute necessities purchased expressly for the Government, and, I am fearful, preventing our getting more. The result of this disappointment—lI will say deception—upon the part of the Government agents is too apparent to render an expression of opinion from me necessary. It is even more disastrous than to fail to meet our local indebtedness, because it impairs our creditin Europe. I sincerely hope, major, you will co-operate with me in my efforts toremedy the evil. Should be gratified to have your counsel and advice as to what had best be done.

Respectfully, your obedient servant,