New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1866-03-14
Were Reconstructien Committee Evidence

WAsIISrOS. D. C.. Feb. 81. 1890
VI Clara Barton sEOrn and eTGmtHcd 0y ir. HoEdrd
q. OF what state gre you native ~ am
q native OF Massachusetts.
q Were you raised and educated there A. was;
IN Worcester Comfy Mass
q. What has heen YOUR employment during the past
year A. have been searching for the missing men
OF tho Union army.
q. Where have you been engaged IN that business
A. / have been engaged IN II here in Washington:
o Where else. A. No where else in that business
that business lac led TO other matters which have
called ne away.
have been engaged 8. commenced 10 search IN the
Spring Of l-6 in tbs latter part Of loo formed tae
acq laintance Of Young man who had been prisoner
at Andersonyle and who had brought away the death
record of that srison he requested an interview. and
| on giving Il harmed from him how the dead were
buried in And rsonvle and became satisfied that 1t
was possible identity them carried the question
before Gen Jfnan, who with the assistance. think,
Of the Assistant Secretary Of War. land it before the
Secretary Nj stanton who sent for me 10 como TO
him the nel day. did so and stated to linn my I'm
preston rsdnesng that parties be sent out 10 identity
The graves A. AniersoBye and to mark them; he de-
cared his gratitude even at the suggestion, all having
thought impossible stated that an expedition should
be started Immediately and that he would select some
officer for the purpose and he invited me to aecompa'
ny H. ready in week and on the 9Th OF july
we left Washington; requested that the young man
should also 60 with the party 10 identity the graves we
reached Andersonville. Ca. on the 18th OF July ana
very soon coored people there commenced to gather
| about me ~ a., -,
".
| pscp.ef A. discovered that they were In state OF
Ignorance generally mt that time of their own condi.
lion ~ freedmen some Of them knew III they all oil
cocrss msirusied IT, they had all heard from one an
otter. few knew II from their masters aud only a
few and what they did hear they had very little conf
denceto believe bearing th,t party OF Yankees, and
esrecially a Yankee lady was there they commenced
to- sther around me for the fact asking me tner se
nuestions in their own way which was to the enect
iithey were free and II Abraham Lincoln was really
dead they had been told that he was dead that no had
ben killed but at the same time they had been IN
formed that now that be dead they we're longer
that had como the suspicion on their part that
| he was not dead but that 1t was hoax
to hold them in Slavery; they would travel
90 miles in the night after their days work was done
and would find them standing in front of my tent In
The morning TO hear me say whether II was true tha
Abraham Lincoln was dead, and that they were free
| told them Abraham Lincoln was dead. that was
near him when he died. and that they were free as
vss: the next question was what they should do
tbue were questions between the negro anj his mas
ter in regard TO labor and in regard TO pay saw or
discovered that the masters were inclined 10 get tnci
lstor without pay Of course had no way of proving
That but 1 inferred it, they were at work; most oil
them were offered woIk until Christmas time. ana 70
tale part OF the profits; Gen. Ssron. should THINK
esh crop the negroes should have they were all very
anxious 10 hear the rules read; the com
| mmdant OF each post had issued certain ruies
AMI regulations these they had never heard read ana
tb,y came To me know what the paper said the rules
wac published daily in the Macon papers; they said
they had been told that Gen Wilson's orders said that
th,y should work six days in the week hard aud hal'
dai on Sunday; they wanted to know II II was So my
coirse with them 10 read Gen. Wilson's paper
as ihey called IL; have read it through sometimes 40
tines day; they stood around my tent In great num-
be,s on Sunday more than hundred. men, women
and children. and every day more or less; perhaps
adrsng them end ATTEMPTING to decide some causes
for them.