Raynors HCA 2016-06
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/17/2016
Letter written and signed by (A)lfred P. Aldrich, was listed as being from South Carolina, was a Third Lieutenant F in the 6th South Carolina Cavalry (Aiken's Partisan Rangers) (1st Partisan Rangers) and ADC to South Carolina Governor Bonham. The 6pp letter discusses the relationship between the Confederate government and the blockade running companies. The letter is datelined Columbia Feb. 28, 1864, written to Governor Bonham, and reads in part, “In obedience to instructions, I left here on the morning of the 21 & proceeded to Richmond, to effect some arrangement with the Confederate Government, by which the interest of the State, in the ships of the Bee Line, would not be interfered with by the different Departments. I went by the way of Wilmington, expecting that Mr. Jervey, its Agent of the Company, would accompany me. He did not meet me, not having received my telegram in time & afterwards learning from Mr. Miles, that his presence would not be needed....called on Maj. Bayne, of the Ordnance Bureau, who had charge of the business of Exporting & Importing ... Maj. Bayne informed us, as you had been previously informed, that the Secry. of War was very desirous, that the States should engage in this Trade ... I then told him, that disappointment & feeling had been excited, from the remarkable fact, that after the consent of the Government had been obtained, that the State should ship in its Steamers of the Bee Line & had actually procured the cargo of the Alice that she was prevented from sailing by a claim of the Navy Depart. which claim was enforced by an order from the War Depart. to detain the ship. ...;When I expressed to him your surprise that after his yielding its claims of the Govmt. in the ships of the Bee Line, both to yourself & to Msts. Truman & Porter, he had then sent orders to Gen. Whiting to detain the ships for the right of the Depart. He said that he greatly regretted that he had been misunderstood that he had no right to yield its claims of the Navy Depart. that he had only intended his own Depart., & that upon examination he was certain it would be found he had only cleared the ships from the service in his own Depart. ... He added, however, to show his desire to promote the interest of State, that he would issue instructions to the Agent of the Depart. in Wilmington to allow the State to ship on any vessel to which the War Department may be interested under the arrangements of the Agents of the Departments in Wilmington.
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