Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-03-09
TESTIMONY OF MAJOR GENERAL
GEO. III. THOMAS IN FULL.

is General Geo. H Thomas evidence, IN
full. before the Reconstruction Committee,
on the condition Of the States OF his com
mand. excepting Tennessee, submitted to
the Committee to-day:
Major General Geo. III. Thomas examined
bv Mr.. Boutwell,. The General said:
Kentucky. Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama
and Mississippi areincluded in my command
The people Of Alabama are extremely
anxious, 10 be under the control OF the
United States, and to have that State in its
regular position in the Union, bat they are
not vet personally friendly to Union men.
They are desirous 10 be under the Govern
ment Of the United States, and have at
tempted 10 pass laws as judicious as they
could. at the time. to regulate the affairs of
the freedmen. One Of their bills was not
considered constitutional by the Governor,
and was vetoed by him.
"He thinks now that the Legislature will
pass lust and fair bill to regulate the af-
fairs of the freedmen of the State. The peo-
ple there have had fair trial in their at
tempt to gain their independence, and have
failed completely. They now profess to
have given up the contest, and express
themselves desirous of resuming their rela-
tons With the OONcrDmeul 81.
4" 1t is difficult to say what portion of the
people are reliable Union men. Before the
secession of the State the majority OF the
people of Alabama were for the Union, ard
when the subject was first submitted to the
people a majority voted against secession.
am informed that the State was eventually
taken out of the Union by the trickery OF
determined secessionists.
"The people acquiesced in the result, and
many Of them seemed to give up their Union
sentiments, and some of the original Union
men have remained rebels, and are now
strongly in sympathy with the enemies of
the Government. Others have expressed
their gladness that the rebellion has been
crushed, and profess desire to have their
State back in the Union but their interests
and sympathies have such hold upon them
at this time that it is very difficult to obtain
clear expressions of sentiment of any man
there.
81 am inclined to think that very small
proportion of them would be willing to sac
rifce their property and interest in the
South for the sake Of the Union they did
not do it before, and it is fair to presume
that they would still adhere to the advance
ment Of their own private interests in pref
erence TO the interests Of the national Gov
ernment In some portions of the State
there is a very bitter feeling between those
who have been Unionists during the war,
and those who have been identified with the
rebellion. In other portions, the people all
seem 10 desire to be friendly to to one an
other, and 10 adhere TO the Government. In
some portions of Western Alabama the SEN
timent is decidedly in favor of the Govern
ment; in other portions Of the State think
the sentiment of the people may be ex-
pressed in this way; If they thought they
could establish Southern Confederacy,
they would prefer H. but seeing no hope OF
that, they desire to live under the Constitu-
ton of the United States. There is in Ala
bama strong, decided disloyal sentiment,
though | think the Union sentiment pre-
dominates in many portions of the State.
"In elections that have taken place in that
State don't know that ii has been a univer-
sal thing for candidates to put themselves
before the people as having participated,
more or less, actually in rebellion, but there
were two distinct parties in Northern Ala
bama, and the Union candidates were de-
feated, but | think the Union candidates
there for the Legislature were all, or a ma
iority of them. elected. | think in Central
and Southern Alabama The successful candi-
dates we're either officers of the rebel army
or active and working rebels. Reports Of
frauds in certain districts in elections was
| forwarded TO me, and | suppose are now on
| file in the Adiutant Generals Office. The
charge was that improper persons were per
mittcd TO vote. 1t was substantially as
understood in that State up to this time
I Of 20 a.
| great extent. been in danger of their lives
| But few instances of personal violence have
| been reported to me. Generally speaking
the presence of United States troops, anC
| officers of the Freedmen's Bureau, has beer
sufficient to put down any demonstrations o
hostility ] do not think it would be expe
| dient TO remove the troops until the people
show that they are themselves willing anc
determined to execute civil law with impair
tial Justice 10 all parties.
81 think public sentiment is divided on The
subject of allowing freedmen to become free
| holders. | have heard of no legislation OF
| that subject either to empower them to be
come freeholders or TO prohibit them from
becoming such. IL the national troops anC
| Freedmen's Bureau were TO be withdraw
from the State at this time, / don't believ,
the Union men or the freedmen could hav
Justice done them. Injustice toward then
would commence in suits in courts for petit,
offenses, and neighborhood combinations Il
annoy them so much that they could no
reside among them. am satisfied, until
better state Of feeling shall arise; that if al
restraint should be removed, the freedmel
would be thrown back into condition @
virtual slavery; that is, they would be com
PEELED hy legislative enactments to labor TO
little or no wages, and they would no
dare 10 leave their employers for fear Q
punishment aRd unless men who had bee
Union men through the war, had yer.
strong personal friends, they could not liv
in the State; they would be annoyed so muc
in various ways that they could not liv
there in any peace or comfort. think emi
grants from abroad would be kindly received
but think emigrants from the North, G
Union men, would be coldly received an
treated with indifference.
| don't know whether any effort has bee
made or not, to ascertain whether the NJ
groes would be willing to remove 10 an
territory assigned to them, if that was to
done. but from my knowledge of negro cha
. acter. | think they would object to il.
think the mass of them desire very much
continue 10 live in their old neighborhood
and with their old masters--invariabl
/. where they have been treated well as slave
; | was born in Southern State and reare
20 the age Of nineteen, in that countr
p Since | have been in the army my servi
i has been mostly in the Southern States az
! on the frontier bordering ON Southern STATE
There is no danger Of trouble from the n
i groes remaining where they are, unless q
: whites treat them so badly that they a
compelled, in self-defense, to rise up again
2 them. There is one section of Alaban
y where the people, under the direction OF
. philanthropic gentleman Of that State, ha
: gone to work themselves TO estsblisha Free
mems Court. or something equivalent 10
4 through which they propose 20 adminis'
,. fair and Impartial justice between the e.
ploycrs and the negroes, and they have a.
undertaken TO establish schools for the
: siruction Of negroes, and for education
r the primitive branches Of knowledge.
The disposition Of the negroes for edu'
ton is universal, especially among
Younger portion OF them. Their capac
Tor receiving instructions have not been I
lv developed, but from all that can lea
from conversation with different perso
they possess a fair capacity for acquiri
;, knowledge / think the second generate
can be instructed much more easily a
thoroughly than the present one, becaiise,
a measure, the mind Of the negro Is entir
rs developed at the present time except in m
tiers OF practical observation. l tAink,
p many instances where negroes have besGl
L u Il A q.