This article is from the July-August 1999 issue of the Confederate Philatelist. Posted with the permission of the journal editor.
I have written about the army post offices established for the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of Tennessee. Until recently I thought that these were the only "official" army post offices, but a recent discovery in the Appointment Bureau Letters-sent Books leads me to suspect that another office - servicing what was called the Army of East Tennessee - may have been established in 1864.
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The Department of East Tennessee had been originally organized in March 1862 to embrace the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, and vicinity. Its boundaries were subsequently redefined several times. On February 4, 1864, the department was extended on the east to include the counties of Russell, Buchannan, Wise, Scott, Lee, and Washington, Virginia, and that part of North Carolina west of the Blue Ridge Mountains; on the south the country north of the Little Tennessee River; and on the west the country east of the Tennessee and Clinch Rivers and Emery's Creek. This territory was in addition to the Alabama counties of Franklin, Lawrence, Morgan, Blount, St. Clair, Calhoun, Cherokee, DeKalb, and Marshall. General Longstreet, who was present with his corps from the Fall of 1863, was at least titular head. When he and his forces left the Clinch Valley, a series of Confederate officers were in command - W. E. Jones, G. B. Crittenden, William Hunt Morgan, and John C. Breckinridge.
Evidently Special Agent William Word was sent to Bristol in early 1864 to coordinate the forwarding of mail matter to the citizens of East Tennessee.
Jan'y 12, '64
Col. W.E.M. Word, Spl Agt POD
Sir: I am directed by the PM Genl to direct you to Bristol, Tenn., with all matter that has been accumulating in this city for East Tennessee for some time, rent a room, buy necessary fuel and light, hire a person or persons to aid you in assorting the mails, and send them as far as you can to their proper destination, or return such mail matter as you cannot deliver, to the Dead Letter Office. You will also take such steps as may be necessary to forward with expedition, such mail matter as may belong to the army in East Tennessee.
Respectfully.
B.N. Clements
Chief Appointment Bureau
The army referred to in the above letter was primarily that of Longstreet, some 16,000 men that were in winter camp in the Clinch River Valley; the headquarters was located at Russellville with mail sent via Dublin, Virginia. These troops had unsuccessfully tried to capture Knoxville, Tennessee in the Fall of 1863, and there was some thought to keeping Longstreet in East Tennessee in 1864 to prevent Union forces from shifting to the Eastern Theater.
January 25th, 1864
W.E.M. Word, S.A.P.O.D.
Goodson Va.
Sir,
In answer to your letter of the 18th inst., I am directed by the Post Master General to say that he will delay action on your recommendation to establish an office to be called the Army of East Tenn, until you return to the city [Richmond], when he can get from you further information to enable him to better decide upon the application. [Author's emphasis.] In relation to the services of route agents on the East Tenn & Va R.R. I will say that only the number required to do the labor should be permitted to remain in the discharge of their duties. If one be sufficient, which seems to be ample for the present, the services of the other two ought to be discontinued, as it would be taxing the Dept unnecessarily. A. I. Blair, Esq., being the oldest agent is entitled to the preference of remaining in the discharge of his duties. You are upon the ground and understand the necessities of the service and it is the wish of the P.M. Genl that you shall exercise your own best judgement in dispensing with the services of such Route Agents as you find to be unnecessary. I am in receipt of a letter from Route Agent Robertson complaining of Mr. Cawood for not returning for duty and stating that he is doing all the duties required upon the road. I wish you would see him, and relieve his mind on the subject, as he evidently labors under the impression, that it is the duty of each agent to do his part of the labor, no matter whether the running distance be ten miles or one hundred miles. Two agents cannot be paid by the Dept. for service easily performed by one. While in your employment Route Agt Blair can be paid as Agent upon your certificate of the performance of service.
Very respectfully.
B.N. Clements
Chief Appointment Bureau
References:
1. Confederate Post Office Department, Appointment Bureau Let-ters-sent Books, Pickett Papers, Vol. 97, p. 86. Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington DC.
2. Confederate Post Office Department, Appointment Bureau Let-ters-sent Books, Pickett Papers, Vol. 97, pp. 102-103. Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington DC.
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