Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1865-12-27

tSts VI Tie pdEutS COncefneu.
By order of the President of the United
States. E. d. TOWNSEND,
Assistant Adiutant General.
proceeded to Charleston, South Carolina,
reaching there October IL. After convers-
ing with General Saxton, the Assistant Com
missioner, and with landowners, / resolved
to go to Edisto, as soon as the people could
be convened at some central point. Thurs
day, October 10, accompanied by several
officers, and the representative of the Tdisto
planters, Mr.. William Whaley, l met the
freedmen at a large church % the island.
The rumor had alread y reached The freedmen
that | proposed to restore the lands, and evil
dences of dissatisfaction and sorrow were
manifested from every part Of The assembly.
l explained what believed to be the wishes
of the President, as set forth in. his interview
with me just before leaving Washington.
and as embodied in my instructions above
recorded. The people chose committee O.
three of their number, and 10 them SID
mitted the propositions to which the land
owners were willing to subscribe. The COM
mittee said that on no condition would the
colored people be willing TO work for their
former owners under overseers rs before but
if they could rent the lands o. them, they
would consent in other respects to arrange
ments proposed. Some would work for
wages, but the general feeling seemed to be
that they ought to be allowed to ?eni the
lands.
by unanimous vote, !. was agreed tEct
the matter be left to my decision, a. 10
whether restoration should be made and as
to the conditions
/ After careful consideration, / deemed :.
advisable to take course as follows:
/. Constitute a board of Supervisors in
which the government, the planter and the
freedman had each representative Tor the
adjustment of contracts and cases Oh diff
Guilty:
Each landowner was required 20 sign an
obligation, after which the order oc restora-
/ ton was TO be issued.
; Capt. Ketchum accompanied me 20 Savan-
nah, and met several OF the planters inter
ested in lands held under Gen Sherman's
, Order, and was instructed by me 20 see that
! the interests of the freedmen were so pro-
teeted as not to deprive them Of homes.
/ passed from Georgia to Fernandina,
Florida, and thence to Jacksonville, explain
ing in the best manner l could the objects
! of my mission to both the planters and the
freedmen.
Circular Is, from this bureau, approved
by the President, had already occasioned the
restoration of large proportion OF he lands
held as abandoned in different parts OF the
United States, and as Gen. Sherman's S. 9.
o., No. 16, hereto attached, required the
confirmation of the President before aay
show of title could be given to the freedmen
the land owners Gained the 5eleii. OF the
same Circular Is.
On arriving at Mobile received the fo.-
lowing telegram from yourself:
WASHINGTON, Oct. Is, 1G"5.
To Major- General HONGrd:
do not understanding that your orders
require you to disturb the freedmen il the
possession at present, bat only ascertain
whether Just, mutual agreement Ca. be
made between the pardoned owners and tEe
freedmen, and if it can, then carry it into
effect.
(Signed) e. M. STAN~o;I,
Secretary CT war.
1 at once sent the following dispatch to
Capt. Ketchum:
BUREAU OF REFUGEES, Freedmen AND
ABANDONED LANDS,
MOBILE, ALA, Nov. 4, 1866. J
Cdpt A. p Retchun Charleston, s. c.:
(Care Of Gen. RUFUS SartoH,)
Dispatch of Secretary received. Be sure
to have the supervising boards constituted
for each locality, before anything else IS
done. They can aid in making the agree
ment referred to by Mr.. Stanton.
o. o. HOWARD,
Major-General, Commissioners.
Believing thai ii an agreement, mutually
satisfactory, could possibly be made, tins
would be the best mode OF procuring the
arrangement.
The course had pursued l endeavored
briefly to apprise you OF on the receipt OF
the above dispatch from your Office, by a
telegram from Mobile, which is as follows :
BUREAU OF REFUGEES, FREEDMEN
AND ABANDONED LANDS,
Mobile, Ala, Nov. 1868. J
Hon. E. II. StdntOn, Secretary Of Var:
SIR: Your dispatch, intended for me at
Charleston, reached me here. | set Capt. A.
p. Ketchum at work to make formal resto-
ration to the pardoned, provided they COM
ply with Circular ID, and provided they
signed an obligation which | drew up as
nearly satisfactory to all parties as anything
could arrange. | gave the freedmen
Supervising Board to guard their interests.
90. HOWARD,
Major General, Commissioner.
| have the honor to submit this report fol
the consideration of Yourself end the Execu.
tive, under whose express orders / was ct
ing.
1t is exceedingly GificuI; 10 reconcile thS
conflicting interests now ari1ing with regard
, to lands that have been so long in The posse1
sion of the government AZ those along tho
I coast of South Carolina, Georgia and Flor
| ida. would recommend that the attention
r of Congress be called to the subject OF Thu
report at as early day az possible, and tina
these lands. or a part Of them, be purchased
b. the United State with a view to thu
rental and subsequent sale to The freedmen
have the honor tb be, very respectfully
2 your obedient servant, o. o. HOWARD,
: Major General, Commissioner.
) In Virginia quite an amount of land wa
libeled. and about to be sold by the Marsha
, lust previous to the establishment Of the bu
reau, when the sales were suspended by tn
E Secretary OF War, in order that these land
+ might be turned over to she bureau, for tn
I benefit of the freedmen. Claimed that thes
D lands, which had been condemned to sale
! though not actually sold, were already, tn
I property Of the government, and objected {
t his Excellency, the President, against the il
C sertion Of the word solo" in the deinitio
: ! OF COllHscdltu pIOpSItN' ihS iOoAut"t ~
1 | ferred the matter to the Attorney Genera
l whereupon, finally, tie word "sold" was il
serted.
c This decision nacessitated the restoratio
e OF all the property, where the sale had bee
: suspended. / have been very DESTROYS I
d conforming 10 the letter OF the law, in Sc
: ting apart lands, but was unwilling to do !
r before it became probc5le that they could
retained. In this way, much disaPpoin
ment and suffering would be avoided.
The freedmen were 80 eager for the po
: session Of land, and so likely, without th:
possession, in fact, o. in prospect, TO b
: obliged to leave their present homes, that
u made the following proposition throug
Z yourself:
q WAR DEPARTMENT, BUREAU OF RyFUGEEs }
y FREEDMEN AND ABANDONED LANDS, 2
IA WASHINGTON. Sept. 4. 1865.
!, Hon. E. NJ Stanton, Secretary Of Var:
] SIR: The matter Of imposing some cond
!, tons in the cases of pardoning those WI
;, | have lands already under cultivation
2 freedmen, for the benefit OF this class of pc
: / sons, having been presented to me, by Il
Attorney General, and plan having bee
suggested by a distinguished officer Of Il
army, which heartily Endorsed, deeEi
n best to combine these suggestions in the 70
4 lowing proposals, to-wit:
/. That hereafter parGons OF the PresiCel
of the United States, extended to those wi