The Bureau of Foreign Supplies was the agency of the

Confederate States War Department The Confederate States War Department was a cabinet-level department in Confederate States of America government responsible for the administration of the affairs of the Confederate States Army. The War Department was led by the Confederate States ...

created by an

Act of Congress An Act of Congress is a statute enacted by the United States Congress. Acts may apply only to individual entities (called Public and private bills, private laws), or to the general public (Public and private bills, public laws). For a Bill (law) ...

in 1864 that was responsible for purchasing and exporting cotton and other produce for the Confederacy in order to fund the war effort during the final year of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. Headed by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas L. Bayne of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, the Bureau was created primarily in response to the widespread corruption of the Texas Cotton Bureau, which was managed by General

Edmund Kirby Smith General Edmund Kirby Smith (May 16, 1824March 28, 1893) was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded the Trans-Mississippi Department (comprising Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, western Louisiana, Arizona Territory and the Indi ...

. Smith was intent on impressing cotton produced in Texas for the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

, which ran contrary to the purpose of the new agency. The Bureau's involvement with and restrictions on the Texan cotton trade was heavily opposed by the

Texas Legislature The Texas Legislature is the state legislature of the US state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a powerful ...

and Governor Murrah, who viewed the Bureau's activities as detrimental to legitimate business activity. The Texas Legislature almost unanimously opposed Confederate export duties on cotton, and accused officials in Richmond of undermining the war effort.“Securing a Separate Identity.” Texas in the Confederacy an Experiment in Nation Building, by Clayton E. Jewett, University of Missouri Press, 2002, pp. 192–197.In-text Citation The Bureau of Foreign Supplies was dissolved along with all other agencies of the War Department in the

Conclusion of the American Civil War The conclusion of the American Civil War commenced with the articles of surrender agreement of the Army of Northern Virginia on April 9, at Appomattox Court House, by General Robert E. Lee and concluded with the surrender of the '' Shenand ...

References

{{Reflist 1864 establishments in the Confederate States of America Cotton History of agriculture in the United States Military units and formations of the Confederate States Army 1865 disestablishments in the Confederate States of America