Connection between Gullatt & Co and CSN?

[DaveBrt]

May 7, 1864, the QM General received a letter from T A Jackson, asking if he could advance Gullatt & Co $20,000 for repair of locomotives if the company gave their shop tools a security.

May 12, the letter was sent to Lieut Col Sims (RR Bureau) by QMG
My 17, the QMG returns the letter to the Sec of Navy with attention invited to Col Sim's endorsement.

We only have, as far as I can find out, the Letters Received Register regarding this letter. Can anyone tell me what Gullatt & Co was doing for the CSN in May '64? Per Fold3, Gullatt (3 variations) only did small iron work -- now they are repairing locomotives??? Whose locomotives? Navy? Locomotives turned over to the Navy for use in ships?

 

[georgew]

May 7, 1864, the QM General received a letter from T A Jackson, asking if he could advance Gullatt & Co $20,000 for repair of locomotives if the company gave their shop tools a security.

May 12, the letter was sent to Lieut Col Sims (RR Bureau) by QMG
My 17, the QMG returns the letter to the Sec of Navy with attention invited to Col Sim's endorsement.

We only have, as far as I can find out, the Letters Received Register regarding this letter. Can anyone tell me what Gullatt & Co was doing for the CSN in May '64? Per Fold3, Gullatt (3 variations) only did small iron work -- now they are repairing locomotives??? Whose locomotives? Navy? Locomotives turned over to the Navy for use in ships?

Hi Dave. The CSN always had problems with rail transport. In some areas they built or acquired their own rail cars. The real deficiency was a lack of engines to tow them. Functional engines were valuable and the Army and the rail companies would be loathe to turn them over for ship construction. On the other hand, industrial engines for saw mills were adaptable for ship propulsion. The engines of the Albemarle come to mind. The original engine for the David TB has been reported as a converted small yard engine. In Texas, deserters from the garrison at Galveston reported more than once that railroad engines had been turned over to the shipyard at Goosecreek where a torpedo boat was under construction, but the equipment was said to be old and in poor condition. I suspect that most correspondence between railroads and the CSN related to attempts to secure rail iron to be re-rolled as plate or get their shipments onto the schedule. Funding repairs for towing engines would have made sense if CSN shipments were assured with the refurbished equipment.