Item #44625 [Autograph Document Signed] Report of Board of Inspection Pursuant to Special Orders No. 31. Headquarters Post & Defences. Virginia City Point, Rufus. Gates Ingalls, Theodore B.
[Autograph Document Signed] Report of Board of Inspection Pursuant to Special Orders No. 31. Headquarters Post & Defences.

[Autograph Document Signed] Report of Board of Inspection Pursuant to Special Orders No. 31. Headquarters Post & Defences.

City Point, VA: 1864. [3 pp.]. Bifolium. 7.5 x 9.5 inches. Very good, minor wear and tear along edges and folds, contents clean. Item #44625

On June 18, 1864, Grant ordered Brevet Major General Rufus Ingalls, his Chief Quarter-master General of the Army of the Potomac, to prepare a massive supply depot at City Point, Virginia, just 20 miles from Richmond, capable of supporting the the hundreds of thousands of men and animals for the siege of Petersburg, and the fall of Richmond. Less than a month later, a special committee of three was tasked with determining the adequacy of boats between Washington D.C. and City Point, and submitted this report to Colonel Theodore B. Gates pursuant to Special Orders No. 31, "... dated 16th July 1864....inspection of the Steamers "Charlotte Vandebilt", "John Brooks", "Highland Light", and "Keyport", constituting the Mail Line, between Washington and City Point."

To comply with the order, the appointed board took small test trips on each boat, assessing the accommodations, meals, and furnishings of each vessel. The detailed report concludes that "... none of the Boats now on the Line are fit for that service," too small, and concerning meals "the Board is of the opinion that they are wretched in quality and insufficient in quantity and by no means worth the price demanded for them."

Dated July 22, 1864 and signed by the three boards members: Major E. R. Bowers, R. Loughran, and Darcy A. Patterson. and addressed to Col. Theodore B. Gates (1824-1911), 80th New York Infantry, who has also signed on the last page.

In addition to the docketing on the verso of blank leaf which includes further notes on the transmission of the report on July 23rd and 24th, there is a final long note on July 25th signed by Brig. General Rufus Ingalls which names other boats that are suitable for such service.

A rare document on what would become one of the busiest ports in the world during the Civil War.

Reference: 1. Robert O. Zinnen: "City Point: The Tool That Gave General Grant Victory" in Quartermaster Professional Bulletin. Spring 1991, pp 1-8.
2. "The Civil War Diaries of Col. Theodore B. Gates, 20th New York State Militia".

Price: $250.00

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