Open letter from Beall to former Confederates prisoners outlining his activities on the behalf from
OR Series 2, Volume VIII, pages 748-9.
The Confederate Prisoners of War:
Having performed the duty of furnishing you supplies, agreeable to the arrangement between General Grant and Colonel Ould, I feel that it is due to you and just to myself that you should have an outline of these duties. The arrangements made to supply the prisoners of war through the agency of their respective authorities permitted the Confederate authorities to send 1,000 bales of cotton from Mobile to me in this city, to be sold by me and the proceeds to be expended in the purchase of supplies as you might need. At the time of the arrangement—11th and 12th November, 1864—it was thought that the orders to receive the cotton on a U. S. vessel would reach Mobile on the 22d of November, and that the cotton would reach this city about the 6th of December. Under this impression, at that date the United States War Department had me paroled and permitted to come from Fort Warren to this city for the purpose of receiving and selling the cotton. Nothing having been heard of the cotton, on the 5th of January, 1865, my parole was suspended and I placed as a prisoner of war in Fort Lafayette, where I remained until the 24th of January, when, 830 bales having arrived, my parole was renewed and I allowed to enter upon my duties. The long delay brought the cotton to this city on a greatly depreciated market. As this delay and the consequent very heavy loss to the -prison fund has been attributed to various causes I will state that from official letters in my possession I learn that on the 17th of December, 1864, General Granger, U. S. Army, commanding in Mobile Bay, notified General Maury, commanding at Mobile, of his readiness to receive on board a U. S. transport the 1,000 bales of cotton; that on December 22d General Maury notified General Granger of his readiness to ship the cotton; that the 1,000 bales were received on the transport and receipted for by a U. S. officer on the 15th of January. The vessel being of insufficient capacity to bring the entire quantity, 170 bales were left with the U. S. quartermaster of Fort Morgan for future shipment to New York. I have learned unofficially that the delay was caused by miscarriage of orders and uncommonly tempestuous weather.
The 830 bales, after being put in good condition for market and due notice given, were sold at public auction on the 8th of February, 1865, and brought an average of 82 cents per pound and netted $331,789.66; $8,589.68 was paid as internal revenue. The 170 bales turned over to the quartermaster at Fort Morgan did not reach this city until the 8th of April, 1865, and, after being put in marketable condition and sold at public auction April 18, netted only $23,994.76—an average of 29f cents per pound. The delay of the 17 0 bales for seventy-two days cost the prison fund $42,569.50. I feel assured that this detention was caused by some inefficient U. S. quartermaster on his own authority. All of the cotton reached this city in most wretched condition, and had to be repicked and rebaled before it could be offered for sale. Having only within a short time been able to bring personally the matter of the internal-revenue tax upon the cotton, amounting to $8,589.68, directly before the honorable Secretary of the Treasury, Mr. McCulloch, he promptly ordered it to be refunded, and on yesterday, 13th instant, it was received and paid to the contractors who furnished clothing.
On entering upon my duties it was my wish and intention to furnish you provisions, at least sugar and coffee, as well as clothing and blankets. Upon calculation I found that it would require $1,200 per day to supply the small ration of sugar and coffee, and it could not therefore be done for want of funds. The very severe winter made the demand for clothing the most important. Attached hereto is a list of the prisons and number of prisoners confined therein at the time I entered upon the discharge of my duties. (See List A.) It will be observed that to the prisons where but a small number were confined I sent no supplies. Such prisons were, as a general thing, used merely for the temporary detention of prisoners, they being speedily transferred to larger stations. Among the 2,259 boxes of provisions, clothing, and tobacco that arrived from the South there were a number for the officers, prisoners of war, at Hilton Head, Morris Island, and Fort Pulaski; but learning officially that these officers had been ordered on exchange I had the boxes distributed among the remaining prisoners. After this was done I learned that those officers had been returned to Fort Delaware. During the performance of my duties, which occupied my entire time and attention for several months, I received from the U. S. officers with whom I had business intercourse great courtesy and every assistance. To the quartermaster's department in this city great credit is due tor the prompt and correct transportation of supplies, as shown by the receipts in my possession from the Confederate prisoners who distributed the supplies at the several prisons. The charge has been made that I u gave contracts to Union men." In reply I have but to say that I looked upon my duties and obligations as too sacred to admit of my consulting anything save the interest of the prisoners. I gave contracts where I thought the best results could be obtained without reference to political opinion. To Messrs. Duncan, Sherman & Co., bankers, I gave the control of the cotton, and to their most excellent management you are indebted for receiving the highest market price for the cotton. Especial thanks are due them, as their services were given without charge.
Newspax>ers will confer a great favor bv copying the above.
WM. N. R. BEALL,
Late Brigadier-General, C. 8. Army.