The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 47, July 1943 - April, 1944 Page: 228
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
porary relief by invading Pennsylvania, but the only significant
acquisition of beef cattle on this campaign was that of General
R. S. Ewell, who on the way to Carlisle captured and sent to
the main column some 3000 head. General John B. Imboden,
on guard detail with Lee's retreating wounded train after
Gettysburg, said that he had "a small lot of fine fat cattle"
which he had taken on the way to that place."
Regardless of what little additions there were to the number
of beeves by captures and the like, the amount of meat on the
eastern side of the Mississippi in December was enough for
only twenty-five days. Virginia had nothing, of course, above
the absolute wants of Lee's troops.'" Even after cutting the
issue of salt meat to a fourth of a pound, Lee had only three
days' supply.'"
By November, the attention of most commissary officers was
directed toward Florida, which was generally recognized, since
the loss of the Texas source, as the last remaining area from
which beef might be drawn, as all other beef-producing areas
east of the Mississippi were in Federal hands or were being
devastated by raiding. Major J. F. Cummings, charged with
supplying Bragg's army, had written to Major P. W. White, the
chief commissary of Florida, on October 5, urging that he
should forward beef, as all other sources were exhausted. Cum-
mings was totally dependent on Florida for Bragg's beef supply.
On the 20th his letter said that the troops under Bragg were
getting half rations of beef and he feared that in a few days
they would be living on bread alone. Georgia was equally de-
pendent on Florida; the chief commissary of that state, Major
J. L. Locke, confessed that his only hope was in Major White.
South Carolina was in the same condition; Major Millen, at
Savannah, felt that the weekly collections by purchasing com-
missaries would have to be relied on. This was doubly so in
his case, as he had killed up all the beef cattle in his area and
was reduced to killing stock herds."7
14R. U. Johnson and C. C. Buel (eds.), Battles and Leaders of the Civil
War (New York, 1887), III, 426.
15D. S. Freeman, R. E. Lee, (New York, 1934) III, 246-7.
160. R., Ser. I, vol. 33, 1061. Lee to Davis, Jan. 2, 1864. Northrop, it will
be recalled, recommended this ration in July, 1863, see supra.
170. R., Ser. I, vol. 35, pt. 2, 394-5. Later it would have been impossible
to kill up stock herds as the Confederate Congress forbade the impress-
ment of these animals. See C. W. Ramsdell (ed.), Laws of the Last Con-
federate Congress (Durham, N. C., 1941), 151.228
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 47, July 1943 - April, 1944, periodical, 1944; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth146054/m1/259/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.