, 1866-03-20
RECONSTRUCTION EVIDENCE.
= TestiMony n Mts Clara Rarton.
WASHINGTON, D. t., Feb. p, 1866
E1ss CLARA pAEzQS swoRy AID ExA1EEp Br M

H. 3e8t1Ao0y n M18 Clara 1afton4
WASHINGTON, D. t., Feb. 2, 1855
.E1ss CLARA RAB1ox swoRy AID ExAxEED 8r M
@ Or what State arc you natlref
A. lam a nat1vc Of Massachusetts
9. We're you raised and educated there:
aMas Ia Worcester county. mss.
ns WE mnss has been Jour employment during III
Al bavo been searching for the missing men o
@ Where hare jon been engaged IN. tnas busl
4. ss hase hen snsa7ed In IT here in Washington
4. No where alsa in TINT business That husl
ness has led TO other matters which have called MI
6 s3ts sn x5srS sse 9a have been, and
a; Isomaenssa y 70 gxa:eh ta tho .pt1ns o. 1865
In ne latter y PaS3 nr o. June me lS formed tho &c
i Apdesron1ine. and who had brought Msy thi
death record Of that prison. Hcreque .ted an fnteE
Fete sen Snled @ L idessoase md Sc Seea@
carried tho question before Gen. nof1nan, who
u t9T ~ ad beof hs si
did 20, and stated TO him my Impression. request
D.. Rss Be ss e t 1e u
gratitude even at the su2rst ton, a! has!nS though
It impossible: stated that N expedition should b
ttnttd Immediately, and that be mo1id select som
=
pany It. Ne were ready in week. and on the Sl1
ofJuly We LEFT Washington. | requested mat N
young man should also 70 @1ih the party to tdet,
The 18th Of July, and Ecrg soon the coloscd peop.s
there commenced 10 gather about me.
2; Whss a'd you discover in relation to the col.
l 4. d1eoreted that they were in state Of i9po'
rance. generally. at that in,c Of their own eondiion
as freedmen some Of 1hem knew Il -1hsy Ill o.
one another. 4 teH knew II from their masters, AMI
| onfr few; and what they did hear 1hey had very
little confidence 10 believe Tearing that party ol
they commenced 10 gather around me fnf the hets,
asking me their little questions IN their OWL way.
10 he e 'sy we5 IT, r.
told that he dead. that he had becu killed; bur
at the same time they had been informed th1t, now
taas be p VA M dead. they ws,s no @ lonEsF | lse but
the suspicion Oh their part that be IVES not dead,
hut tnat It vas hoax 10 bold them Ia, slavery.
aa soas ei as + sg ~ M
nc say whether Il vas. true tnas Abraham hncot1
Abraham 1ancon was dead thai was near him
when he died. aEd that they were free as wa.
The nex' question War3"hat they should do. There
in regard to lahor and In regard 70 pay. saw
or discovered that the masters we're Inclined to get
thcit labor without pay. " course / hsl no way
| Of proving that, bat I inferred II. They were Al
EhTetmas tifne nnd in fske \ rort ~ the nr,11t.
| Gen. sa1ton, should 1hlns, made rome re:ula-
nr1rss, shnnId fare ThfT wer a, vsIz nIron NV
TO 6ear he 1n.es read. IGe conm.n3iant nf eoes
| poEr- had tssf,cd certain ruIes and reeniatous
| There they had never heard rcau npd the1 csm, so
me 10 know what tne rsper said. The rules Wcr,. ~
Rnhltshss & d.,'y r. shs Maeoa gsp<I.. faey ss;d
thai they should work Fix days IN The wnak haI.i;
| and hall dny on suutay. TheY wanted to EnoW
u 1t was 20. My course win then VAS to rad
1 Zen Wf4nHra fharr all 1nflif huu. i
| IT through sometlmes forty times q div. Thrv
stood around nv lent Ia r1eat number, on sun.
dren-ani every ta5 more or les. Perbsp. tnern
were yeTy few bonis that ,;as nor enea9rd in sH.
yisine them, and attempting 10 decide soma canss,
| ior them.
| q. Did Gen. Wilson's order contain surh tbinc
! a. ihatt : '&'-
| 4. Oh no III. GEN: Wilson's orde. WIS protective
lhe hest Of il vas ihat they could understand f.,
When it was read to them. they neYer failed 10
| well Drawn. iound that II It hati heen resd ia
Them props.lv by their oWuefs Or masters. fhev
would hayc understood II, Ior, ~ i would lead
,yGms AZ dat
Then Nould fe..d auoihef passacra snd ask them
thsY undsTstnod ihsf. .tOn ses. :" :. What a.
2n rerns ond s,,y ,h, nav r. T. tasts
O. iii she1 n1rrn,I to yon ;hsI their ~ n,s.,c,
had riyen 1hat;necuifaS yessioa al Cen ~ Wfsnn's
n,s,eEih,t thev shnTi1, ,1nrk o.. ,o1s n ~ .
haeS .t,5 III { 5sv -, aur1s ooSs IL ue Week
IA. II manF in.tsness IN m thev r1ye me that ,mnres.
- .' III @ - J Z s's taS t!tat u "
sa;d ,,s, W. ~ ~ hs, ' ,na ~ ~ %otus, ana
Who,a % th~ .oykt 60 % ~ s ~ y! NJ @ saaa -: :gs
sher o1 ,stp hut ~rrs hred o,,t a. ,hes nss
SeT ve4e ennrse eaf isS m hecse ses
nnen th.9 he.r IL n,,se- 'aEy ~ In5a e
oa,,, ta1 ,oe o, oIes anu 1noe.s!ooa H.
es,tn, ~ M ssap ~ ,q ataMn OUT eN
came F,,h 1Teat 1nsnv ,i,t, su,nt. aaey
rndcrssana hnw Hal siais af tbines unn;a n,"tai
hse mskc ih se,n 6 - - -.s a
md. perhaps, inpaGens. of ,hese iit,io thnss /
t2ok no 9otiee. fos ! 1hou.ht them n.tuzal; I
nnI interest an ~ ~nre a,,hfti~ 1aI ipr aas,l
nsl ,nd S ;,s ,her - |o,5 re1s ~ ~ an
Zee ths;s E Tss 70 money for thsm th!ak hey
sesns e,anee "nef negro went away whom advised to
cn sns ~ ~ " naG.. t;as., We awaksaea 1n tae
s;e1v ~ 1aa ,sn, ass ~ ~ H.
eoSd.loosiae man ia,s1lssnt and b3:ast tased1a
;s Trs aa, H. rss -, aLn"d sta .ae S ~
BEEN hen NJ aad 9ssed a. hoase ssrTant i Wih X nov @
arm sn r. NV shc deh. ~ ,hc fsIie o ~, 5es h
Tas t}en nj he tis INV him, farfyrsa 49, r.a.a ru
iii: 1Stt when he w. .nld he ,s,s s.n1..ta .n-a
e,,sI Nv seeuI,a+. I'M ,ssn @ ~ o nss nuE
1;enrvfn. '~'@ ~ ''~'-"
a1 Peshaos oush. 10 state how the nx roe. came
me an H. 6e; ,be,s h.pR RoGs s ,,,a ..
th.w ss1r Rsrn ~ smnhsstcRr = ,,oo .S,sa :. ET
nSr Tat ,resihT spnneh ~ o,eT ,m.' ,n.s dJ lgJ
their own Wosf. Hnt when 1Ie r1er S,,tea ionnd
It polite to eel1 sheir sjayss. ne, soid 1hs III
lesser pIice 10 epecuiaiors. wno IuuI It 10 thcir
inIcr. + i nnrchfst them and mn III n min sonth
western GcpFcias and pot Ihem Al a p1icc .; whieh
these pooy people covla buy ihcm; 70 hal eyery
DOOR nan foprhr una ar two ~layes 4. be- conId III
fosti Il iust IA 6e would huv m az of a COW They
kept them in then families, and worked them hke
csiue The s]a,es had M respect for theIr .ters
them. lhey ali seemed to apologize when 1bey
were asked where they cane from; ihey would az.
10 beter da,t They had been III raised In wealthy
fam,ies IN Vitrinia Or south Carons.
This man that bare been speaking of had been
souihwesiern Georgia and loltl to one Nick Wy,e.
Niek Wylte hnd lar;p number OF slares: Dudnr
the years of the war he had not been on Ills plaua