Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-12-20
u
Ien. Grants Report % tIle Presl-
20 HEADQR's ARMY OF THE U.s.
WASHINGTON, DC, Dec. is, 1866.

His iEsesllencg A. johnson, President Of the
II United States: .uJ lda
b7 SIR-In reply to your note of the 10th
| inst, requesting a. report from me giving
| such information as may be possessed OF
coming within the scope of Inquiries s'made
4 by the Senate of the United States In their
lresOlution of the j 9th, IL have the honor to-
submit the following, with your approval,
| War: ''"'' '-'' ''''''.'
r i left Washington City on the 9th of last
month for the purpose OF making a
tour Of inspection throughout some of the
! Southern States lately IN rebellion, and
| to see whaton changes were necessary
In the disposition of the military forces
4 Of the country; how these forces could
/ be reduced and expenses curtailed, &C.,
and to learn, as far as possible. the feel
1 ings and intentions Of the citizens OF the
States towards the General Government.
The State of Virginia being 80 accesiable
to Washington City and Information lom
1 this quarter therefore, being readily Job
| tained,i i fastened through the State with
| out conversing orenneeting with its citizens.
4 In Raleigh, NsCs A. spent one day; in
/ Charleston, s. c. two days; and in Sayan-
4 nah and Augusta, Ca, each one days Both
/ in travelling and whilst stopping saw
much and conversed freely with the citi-
| gems of those States, as well as with officers
of the army who have been stationed among
them, The following are the conclusions
come toby met ,iobHgI ,gonaHs .la .r.qgllc--.
/ am satisfied that the mass of thinking
men OF the South accept the present situA-
/ ton OF affairs in good faith. The ques-
/ tions which have hitherto divided the sem
| timents of the people of the two sections
| slavery and State rights, or the right of
State to secede from the UniOn-they re-
| gard as having been settled forever by the
highest tribunal-arms7-that man eau re-
sort to. l was pleased to learn from the
leading men whom met, that they not
only accepted the decision arrived at as
I final but now that the smoke of battle has
cleared away and time has been given Tor
sreiiection, this decision has been for the
whole country, they receiving the like BEN
eft from itYith those who opposed them
in the field and in council 'lq,'. I'd, ~ ,l
| Four years of war, during which law was
executed only at the point of the bayonet
throughout the States in rebellion, have
left the people possibly in q condition not
to yield that ready obedience to civil au-
thority the American people have been in
the habit of yielding. This would render
the presence of small garrisons throughout
those States necessary until such time as
labor returns to its proper channel and civil
meet any one, either those holding places
under the Government or citizens of the
Southern States, who thought it practicable
to withdraw the military from the South
at present. The white aud the black mu
tually require the protection of the Gene
raj Government. There is such universal
acknowledgements the authority of the Gene
raj Government throughout the portions of
the country visited by me, that the mere
presence OF a military force, without re-
, gard to numbers, Is sufficient to maintain
order. The good of the country requires
! that the force kept in the interior, where
there are many more freedmen than else
where in the Southern States should all
be white troops. n The reasons for this,
without mentioning many of them, is, that
the presence of black troops is likely to de-
mOraliZe the freedmen and labor, both by
their advice and furnishing in their camps
a resort for the freedmen for long dis
tances around. White troops generally
excite no opposition, and therefore small
number of them can maintain order
There must be kept in the cities sufficient
number to defend them. 1t is not the think
ing men who would do violence towards
any class of troops sent among them by the
General Government, but the ignorant in
, some cases might, and the late slave too
= who might be induced, with the idea that
the property of his late master should by
right belong to him, at least should have
Z no protection from colored soldiers. There
y is danger of collision being brought on by
J. such courses. D., ........... 20. ., -.
r NY observations lead me to the conclus.
: ion that citizens of the Southern States are
anxious to return to self government with
2 in the Union as soon as possible, thai
whilst reconstructing their government;
y Iprotection is required by the Government
= and IL Is not humiliating to them as citi-
9 zens; that if such course was pointed out
. they would pursue it 10 good faith.
7 Its to be regretted that there cannot be
y a greater comminglng at this time be-
tween the citizens of the two sections, and
particularly of those entrusted with the
s. law-making power. ..aG'
| did not give the operations of the Freed
mems Bureau that attention | would have
done if more time had been at my disposal
4, Conversations, however, on the subject with
Il officers connected with the Bureau, led me
4, to think that In some of the States its
1g affairs have not been conducted with gooC
Judgment or economy, and that the belle
II will be spread among the freedmen of the
n South that the lands of their former own.
oIers will not be divided among them has
Icome from the agents of this Bureau. Thii
4, belief is enormously interfering with The
willingness of freedmen to make contract:
for the coming year. In some cases the
Freedmen's Bureau is an absolute necessi
ty until civil law is established and en-,
y forced, securing to the freedmen theil
. . rights and full protection. AT present
= = however, it is independent of D, the
Il military establishment of the country
q and seems to be operated by the differen
A' agents of the Bureau according to their in
dividual notions everywhere. Gen. How
!. ard, the head of the Bureau, made friend
by the Just and fair instructions and ad
vice he gave but the impression in Soutl
Carolina was that when he left thing
: went on as before. Many, perhaps tn,
majorityg of the agents of the Freedmen'
!, 4 Bureau advise the Freshmen that by thei
i i own industry they must expect to live
: To this end they endeavor to secur,
: employment for them and to Sc,
that both contracting parties comply witt
their engagement In some cases, an
: sorry to say, the freedmen's minds do no
d1 seem to be disabused OF the idea that tn,
+ freedmen have the right to live without
. care of provision for the future. The effec
,1 bfthe beliefin diGisiOno lands Ia, idlenes
j and aecumulating in camps, towns anC
b cities. In such cases think 1t win be fopnt
I'd that vice and disease will tend to extermina
2 tion or great destruction ofthe c0lored race
1t cannot be expected that opinions hell
by men at the South for years can bi
changed ina, day, and therefore the freed
men require for a few years not only law
to protect them, but the fostering care O