The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1866-01-01
THE FREEDMEN IN VIRGINIA..
ovsrc1AL REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT COMMITS
sI0NER.
Major General O. O. Ho,odrd, Commits
si0ner Rslye0u REFUGEES. &c.:

In obedience 70 orders from the nenu-
quarters of the Bureau, the assistant
commissioner entered upon the duties
of his office at Richmond, June Is, 1865.
Previous to this time, no uniform sys-
tenn had been adopted for the manager
troll Of these matters was in the hands of
the several commanders Of the military
districts.
The larger portion of the State having
been 30 recently overrun by contending
armies, the usual business avOcations
were almost entirely suspended, and
large numbers of the laboring popula-
ton were collected in camps or located
on abandoned farms, or obtained pre-
carious existence on charity and the
fruits of irregular employment. In the
neighb0rhoods of Norfolk, Fortress
Monroe, and Yorktown, about seventy |
thousand had been collected during tho |
war. From among these, from eight to |
ten thousand recruits for the army had |
been enlisted; many other Of the able
bodied men had found employment In |
the different staff departments of tho |
army, leaving their families in this dis
trIct, partially dependent upon the GSx-I
eminent. In other districts, thousands
OF freedmen were roaming about With
out settled employment, and without
homes. In localities least disturbed by
| the presence or conflict Of armies, and
where the average amount OF land was
under cultivation, the crops were suffer-
| ing from want of proper attention; the
nlanter being unwilling to acknowledge
his late slave freeman by becoming
| mariner with him to contract, and the
| freedman conscious that'nO further SER
| Vice was "duen from him, and wishing
to satisfy himself that he was really free
by exercising his liberty to leave his old
I Eighty-five thousand six hundred
4 ana f0f1Dtseven (85, 647) acres of land
were held in the State exclusive of that
in the counties of I0udoun and Fairfax,
for the benefit of the. freedmen. Some
Of these lands were-worked by them on
shares, some by the Government the
freedmen being paid wages; some even
rented to them, some were occupied as
homes for those who were unable to pay
rent or to support themselves, while
others, on account of their location,
were unOccupied.
The problem to be solved was how to
provide for the protection, elevation,
, and government OF nearly half mil
lion OF people suddenly freed from the
l
with no law but that of force, ignorant
! Of this elementary principles of civil
.lxpvernment and Of the first duties OF
y c,..enship, without any provisions fol-
+ she ,,,ture wants of themselves and
amnies spd entertaining many false
anu eAsIavssent notionsin respect to
= ard them. sis- - -T-- n --.-----
ri The citizens generally afforded no as
4 sistance in meeting these difficulties
:. Stripped to great extent of ready re-
y sources by the operations of the war
7. lAhey were unable to allow these people
their just dues, much less any charita
h BILE assistance. In some sections Of thu
State public meetings have been held
: :, and the citizens had entered into cove
nant not to pay more than five dollar
Is ($5) per month to able-bodied men
II not to rent lands to freedmen nor /.
y give employment to any withalt a ceg
:, titicate from their former owners Man,
9 OF the citizens, under tho control Of TIA
U dit!on, habit, aaa education only sui
tienlv acquiescsd III the freedom of thei
former slaves. They regarded tl,s@ col
:, ored population az xpecesssfiiy .alidsap
: propriately ssrviAas ana unsit for Tree
81 dom and stiE1ii go BY the feeling flla
'eil.he lasGSs Il We're IN some way res
!; Il sssses< s lar The failnre OF their cause
s. 4 4 ,g{;s wlaslly disqualified from &C
~ Yiy sf.1ing I'd the work ~ The Bureau.
q Another class, numerically small, bu
q OF the best talent, culture, and infiu
! ence, noe only accepted the situation
Lat with wise foresight and noble pa
triotism were ready tovco-operate wit
the Government FOR the speediest re
st0ration Of tranquility and law, andet
assist the Bureau in it's .endcavor.a q
II bring the highest good tgall classeajOu
: OF present evils. A third and more no
y merehs class, becanse forced to acknow
Q ledge the freedom OF their former slaves
i. wished either to effect their entire re
nlOval nom the state or bind them b,
such contracts as would allow them bu
little more freedom than they -fornlerl
d The work Of tho Bureau Vas orga
4 nized by dividing the state into efgh
: districts, with one assistant quartemas
ter as superintendent of eacht to whom
: property in use by the Bureau within
the district yas turned over. -
: The supe5lntendents werep instructed
to divide their districts into iconvenien
sub-districts, each county constituting
: one sub-district, except when the col
q ored population Of county was les
than 5000, in which case two or NOR,
counties were to be united, and to apply
to the commander OF the military dis
| trict for an 0fllcer to act as assistant SUI
i perintendent over each sub-district.
!. The superlntendents were further in
: structsd to protect IL negroes in theiI
rights ~ freemen, 70 see that they wert
not In any way oppressed by their for
T mer masters, and to cultivate friendly
!, relations between the two classes; to as
. sist in the organization Ind mainten
: ance Of schools; to discourage as far Al
possible the disposition Of the feedmen
to remove from one locality to another
, except 80 far as 1t might be necessary fol
! uniting members of separated families
! or to find profitable employment tt
! urge upon them the Importance o.
, making contracts for their labor, and t.
! fulfil the same when made; to aid them
!, by their advice when necessary to pre-
. vent their being -defrauded; but in all
lother cases to leave them free to make
, their own bargains.
q To furnish rations, medicines, and
medical attendance for the helpless and
destitute, not provided for by their for
, mer owners but not to issue rations to
persona able to work, for whom en-
ployment could be found.
To require assistant superintendent
to keep registers of all colored persons
In their sub districts, and to aid such in
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