470 Norto Carorina Troops, 1861-’65.

ture of cotton North Carolina had less than $1,500,000 in-
vested ; in wool not over $300,000, perhaps not more in iron,
and these latter were but small establishments for local accom-
modation. There was not a manufactory of arms worth men-
tioning in the State. Of cotton goods, not half a supply,
even of the coarser sorts, were made for our own consump-
tion; of woolen goods, scarcely a tenth; of iron, for ordinary
purposes, not a twentieth; of shoes and leather, not a tenth
part of home consumption, was supplied. Yet in less than
twelve months we were not only filling that demand and fur-
nishing large quantities for the army, but selling heavily to
our Southern sisters. When the capacity of the cotton and
woolen mills began to be heavily taxed, the old-fashioned
wheel, card and hand looms of our grand-mothers bloomed
into fashion once more, and under the patriotic zeal of our
mothers and daughters the whole land was musical with the
song of the spinning and the clack of the shuttle. When
their hand cards gave out it was ascertained that there was
no machinery in the South to renew the supply. But many
thousands of pairs were imported through the blockade, as
well as two sets of machinery for their manufacture, and the
stock was abundantly renewed. Ere long, also, it was dis-
covered that the card clothing and other destructible parts of
the mills were giving out and could not be replaced in the
Confederacy. This difficulty was also met by the importa-
tion of quantities of card clothing, belting and lubricating
oils, which kept all the factories going till the end. An
abundant supply of cotton goods, and a full supply for the
people, and a partial one for the army, of woolen, being thus
provided, the remaining quota of woolen goods and leather
findings were sought for abroad. By means of warrants
based upon cotton and naval stores, an elegant long-legged
steamer was purchased in the Clyde.* She was built for a
passenger boat to ply between Glasgow and Dublin, and was

_ Nore.—It is but justice to state here that the idea of obtaining supplies
in this way, was suggested to me by Gen. J. G. Martin, then Adjutant
General of the State. It was his practical ability which shaped the out-
line of the scheme, though he had returned to active service in the
Confederate army before its fruits were reaped. 2B

Nortu Carouina’s ReEcorp. 471

remarkably swift. Captain Crossan, who purchased her in
connection with my financial agent, Mr. John White, ran
her in at Wilmington with ‘a full cargo in 1863, changed her
name from Lord Clyde to the Ad-Vance. When her elegant
saloons and passenger arrangements were cut away, she could
carry with ease 800 bales of cotton and a double supply of
coal. As cotton was worth in Liverpool then about 50 cents
in gold, the facilities for purchasing abroad whatever we de-
sired, is apparent. Before the port of Wilmington fell, this
good vessel had successfully and without accident made eleven
trips to Nassau, Bermuda and Halifax, through the Federal
fleet, often coming through in open day. Captain Thomas
Crossan, Captain Julius Guthrie, North Carolinians, and
Captain Wylie, a Scotchman, were her successive command-

ers. By reason of the abstraction or destruction of the Ad-

jutant-General’s record, as before remarked, I am unable to
give an exact manifest of her several inward cargoes, but the
following will give an idea of them: Large quantities of ma-
chinery supplies, 60,000 pairs of hand cards, 10,000 grain
seythes, 200 barrels of blue stone for the wheat growers,
leather and shoes for 250,000 pairs, 50,000 blankets, gray
woolen cloth for at least 250,000 suits of uniforms, 12,000
overcoats ready made, 2,000 best Enfield rifles, with 100
rounds of fixed ammunition, 100,000 pounds bacon, 500
sacks of coffee for hospital use, $50,000 worth of medicines
at gold prices, large quantities of lubricating oils, besides
minor supplies of various kinds for the Charitable institu-
tions of the State. Not only was the supply of shoes, blan-
kets and clothing more than sufficient for the supply of North
Carolina troops, but large quantities were turned over to the
Confederate Government for the troops of other States. In
the winter succeeding the battle of Chickamauga, I sent to
General Longstreet’s Corps, 14,000 suits of clothing complete.
At the surrender of General Johnston, the State had on hand,
ready made and in cloth, 92,000 suits of uniform, with great
store of blankets, leather, etc., the greater part of which was
distributed among the soldiers and people. To make good
the warrants on which these purchases had been made abroad,
the State purchased and had on hand in trust for the holders,