Unknown to J. A. Seddon, February 20, 1864
Hon. J. A. SEDDON, Secretary of War:
Sir: The Hon. A. P. Aldrich, speaker of the House of Representatives and chief of my staff, comes to you possessed of my views, and fully authorized to represent mein reference to the interest of the State in the Bee ships. After the receipt of your letter of the 5th instant, in which you say ”that any vessel engaged by the State and carrying out for it the amount of cotton required by others to be carried out for the Department would not be interfered with or restrained,” I am surprised that the Secretary of the Navy should be allowed to take the State’s interest inthe Alice, and that he now claims the one-third in the Fannie, just arrived. I am informed, moreover, that the States of North Carolina and Virginia have similar interests which are not interfered with. There may be some misapprehension
11 R R—SERIES IV, VOL III on this point, and I trust it is not correct that such distinction is made. This is a matter of such interest to the people of the State, and heretofore in the field, that I feel it my duty to send in a special representative to confer with you upon it. I am, sir,
very respectfully, your obedient servant,
whereas, the recent requisition by the Confederate authorities for slave
labor to work on fortifications will, if carried out, interfere seriously
with the farming productions of the State: Therefore, be it
be respectfully requested to confer with the authorities of the Confederate States and urge upon them the necessity, in the present
emergency, of releasing the slaves from said requisition, if in the
judgment of the Confederate authorities this release may be granted