P. W. White to and Chief Commissary of Florida, December 9, 1868

Quincy, Fla., December 9, 1868.

His Excellency JOHN MILTON, Governor of Florida:

GOVERNOR: Having just received this morning a copy of the act of the last Florida Legislature regulating the mode of executing the impressment acts of the Confederate Government by its officers in this State, I find that the fifth section of that act requires ”each and every person authorized by Confederate authority or law of the Confederate States to make impressments in this State shall notify the Governor thereof, so that the citizens of this State may be notified thereof by proclamation of the Governor as aforesaid.” If Your Excellency requires this notice to be given by each and every person in my department individually, it will be from three to five weeks before they can be written to and their answers obtained so as to furnish Your Excellency their names. But if official notification from me of the names of those I have empowered to make impressments will satisfy the terms and requirements of the fifth section of said law, then I have the honor to inclose to Your Excellency a partial list of their names for immediate proclamation. If each person has individually to notify Your Excellency of his power to impress, all of our surplus stores will be in danger of being purchased and taken out of the State before this can be done, and in all the cattle districts of this State (where we are collecting by detailed men nearly all of the cattle now supplied to our armies) our operations must be suspended until the notice be given by each impressing officer from the remotest regions of this State. Three-fourths of the beef-cattle are now furnished from Manatee and Brevard Counties, both very remote, and on account of poor mail service it requires from three to four weeks for a letter to go and answer to be returned. What is to be the fate of our armies, now almost solely dependent upon this State for meat, Heaven only knows. The danger from this source will be greatly lessened if it be held sufficient for me to furnish you the names of my impressing officers. On the contrary, if each officer has himself to notify you, the interval until this can be done will be one of great peril to the Army, unless my officers shall be willing to take the responsibility and, in order to sustain the Army, run the risk and submit to the penalties of thelaw. Under authority from the Commissary-General, Col. L. B. Northrop, I have conferred authority to impress upon the following officers and persons, viz:

Isaac Widgeon, commissary agent First District of Florida; Maj. A. B. Noyes, commissary of subsistence, commissary Second District of Florida; Maj. J. P. Baldwin, commissary of subsistence, commissary Third District of Florida; Maj. A. G. Summer, commissary of subsistence, commissary Fourth District of Florida; Mr. James McKay, commissary agent Fifth District of Florida; Capt. J. D. Westcott, assistant commissary of subsistence; Capt. C. F. Stubbs, assistant commissary of subsistence; J. P. Coker, sub-agent of Mr. Isaac Widgeon; Joseph B. Roulhac, sub-agent of Mr. Isaac Widgeon; Hamilton G. Bryant, sub-agent of Mr. Isaac Widgeon; John J. White, sub-agent of Mr. Isaac Widgeon; S. B. Thomas, sub-agent of Maj. A. B. Noyes, commissary of subsistence; J. J. Polhill, sub-agent of Maj. A. B. Noyes, commissary of subsistence; John Denham, subagent of Maj. A. B. Noyes, commissary of subsistence; Arthur Macon, sub-agent of Maj. A. B. Noyes, commissary of subsistence; J. J. Snelling, sub-agent of Maj. A. B. Noyes, commissary of subsistence; Paul Canova, sub-agent of Maj. J. P. Baldwin, commissary of subsistence; William Allen, sub-agent of Maj. A. G. Summer, commissary of subsistence; E. D. House, sub-agent of Maj. A. G. Summer, commissary of subsistence; Capt. James McKay, assistant quartermaster, sub-agent of James McKay, Fifth District; M.S. Elkins, subagent of Maj. A. B. Noyes, commissary of subsistence.

In addition to the above I have the henor to report my own name as one authorized to make impressments of subsistence stores. There are others, whose names I will forward you as soon as practicable.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

Major and Chief Commissary of Florida.

[Inclosure No. 2.]

SYLVANIA, JACKSON County, December 12, 1863.

Maj. P. W. WHITE:

Sir: Your letter of the 9th instant was handed to me by Mr. Gibson

as I passed through Quincy en route for this place. Previously I had

sent to the office of the Floridian and Journal for publication the act