The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1865-08-04
Actual COndiiIOH OF Slavery In Ken
tUcky-Letter from Gen. Palmer TO
the President.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF KEB~
lucky, LOUISVILLE, KY, July q, 1866
To his Excelleney, Andrew johnson,
President of the United States-Sir I
have already by telegram acknowledge
ed your dispatch Of yesterday, contain
ing copy of a dispatch of Mr.. Price,
which states that Provost Marshals is
sue free papers TO negroes indiscrim-
inately. refer you to my dispatch, in
which / say no free papers" are issued
by any officers of this Department,
which, though literally true, does not
quite meet the facts as they are.
! forward you my General Orders,
Nos. 80 and 49. Under these orders
many passes have been issued by Pro-
vost Marshals, &c, to negroes, who hold
them; and, ] am told, IN many cases
they regard and act upon them IS " free
papers"
The reasons for issuing Order 81 win
be found on the face Of the order, bat
the reasons which Influenced the Mayor
and his friends to apply TO me do not
Large numbers Of negroes were then In
Louisville from the surrounding cOun-
Try, who had escaped from or repHdiA-
ted the authority of their masters.
The Mayor and others desired my
approval of q plan they had arranged
for the general enforcement of the laws
against yagrancy, and the law which
iorbids slaves TO 60 at large and hire
themselves out as free persons. To
have enforced these laws would have
produced great misery and Slarm
amongst the blacks. To leave the ne
groes in the city would have alarmed
the fears OF the citizens who were be
forehand taught TO think their presence
would cause pestilence. They sought
10 make me responsible for either con
sequence.
TO avoid both, ! issued Order No. 81
Under it over FIVE thousand negroes
have crossed the Ohio river at thA
place alone.
Before the 4th of July an impress
sion got abroad amongst the negroes
throughout the State that Oh that day
they would sl be made free. Inflamed
by this belief, thousands of them left
their masters houses and came into
cut posts ST different points in the
State. Every nook and hiding place
81 such places as Camp Nelson, Lezing-
ION, Frankfort, Bowling Green, Nun
s5ordville, dc, was flied with them.
They were without work or means;
and the greater the number and the
more destitute they were the more the
people resisted employing them. lwsS
compelled from these causes to iss1e
General Orders No AZ, and the "FSee
Papers" referred to in the TELEGRAPH of
Mr. Price, sre merely the passes issued
under that order
! have been greatly embarrassed in
respect to the colored people by the
acts and declarations of poltscians and
presses in the INSTRUMENTATION inter
est They have given the negroes ex-
trsordinary ideas Of the pSrPOses ofthe
Government by announcing in their
speeches and columns, that 1t was the
intention of the Government TO free
them all, furnish them with food and
clothing, and put them upon an eQuar
ity with the whites. Invariably q con.
sentative gathering in 3 neighborhoOC
is followed by y stampede OF negroes
l think aud respectfully submit thaf
Il is impossible, under the existing sta L
of facts here, TO enforce the laws 'yf tn,
State in reference to slaves and 81 ave- ~
Al the beginning Of the war, Ken
lucky had about two hundred and
thirty thousanG slaves. Say....-.2S0,00
Oar reports Show number ol Ire
go 2o,Si'
Estimated number of women,
men and children freed by
resolNO on of Congress of March
Sd, 1855, y for each mAn.... 72,O4
tl0OS6