1861 Decem[be]r 3 Lynchburg

Mr William Weaver
Sanders Store
Dear Sir
Your favor of the 26th Ultimo
came duly to hand since which time we have been en-
deavoring to obtain for you the 9 Sacks of Washington Co Salt
but find it impossible to do so. This great Salt Committee
& flourish You saw in the papers, has resulted in deceiving
the People & McDaniel & Orly informs us that you may
get the Salt in February next, & we are satisfied that
they are not furnishing one sack to every thousand that
is wanting, & the balance of our Merchants saw & felt the
injustice that was done them & have not endeavored to
procure any salt, & the result is (as the writer told Wm
Irby?]) that they cannot furnish it, & the curses are deep &
loud upon them by the Surrounding Country & Citizens who
have brought their Wagons & teams here from 75 to 100
Miles, believing all they had to do was to come here and
get just as much salt as they wanted at $300 per sack
& have to return empty. It has been a most outrageous
swindle upon the People, or rather deception, but we are
satisfied it was all done for bunkum, but the result will
be any thing but a popular one

Yr Friends
Lee Rocke & Taylor

William Weaver, 1780-1863, was a Pennsylvania Iron Master who established a successful iron industry at Buffalo Forge, Va., using a workforce of skilled slaves who were compensated for their labor with money, goods and privileges. See Charles Dew's Bond of Iron for a detailed account of this little known industrial enterprise.

See also the letter from Philip St. George Cocke, 1861 November 24, on efforts to obtain salt for curing pork at Lynchburg.

MSS 38-98