The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-01-16
A POLITICAL CURIOSITY.
Words that arc fair from lips that are
false-What Grant said about tho South
before he became President.
HEADQUARTERS
ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES,
Donemh har 1S lSf5

HEADQUARTERS
ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES,
December is, 1865.
To his Erccllency Il. johnson, President
ofthe United States:
SIR-In reply to your note of the 10th
inst, requesting report from me giving
such information as / may be in posses
sion of, coming with the scope of inqui
ries made by the Senate of the United
States in their resolution of the 18th in
slant, have the honor to submit the fol-
lowing, with your approval, and also that
of the honorable secretary of war:
I left Washington on the 9th Of last
month for the purpose of making g tour
of inspection through some of the South
ern States lately in rebellion, and to see
what changes were necessary in the dis
position Of the military force of the
country, and how these forces could be
reduced, and expenses curtailed, &C., and
to learn as far as possible, the feeling and
the intentions of the citizens of the States
towards the General Government. The
State of Virginia being 50 accessible to
Washington City, and information from
this quarter, therefore, being readily OBJ
tained, l hastened through the State
without conyersing or meeting with any
of the citizens. In Raleigh, N. c., I
spent one day; in Charleston, S. c., two,
and in Savannah and Augusta, Ga, each
one day. Both in travelling and while
stopping saw much and conversed free.
ly with citizens of these States MS well as
with officers Of the army who have been
stationed among them. The following
are the conclusions come to by me:
/ am satisfied the mass of thinking
men of the South accept the present sit
uation of affairs in good faith. The
questions which have hitherto divided
the sentiments of the people of the two
sections-slavery and state rights, or the
right of State to sccede from the Uuion
they regard as having been settled
forever by the highest tribunal of arms
that man can resort to. l was pleased to
learn form the leading men who met
that they not only accepted the decision
arrived at as final, but now that the
smoke of battle has cleared away, and
time has been given for reflection, that
this decision has been fortunate one for
the whole country, they receiving the like
benefits from it with those who opposed
them in the field and in the council.
Four years Of war, during which the law
was executed only at the point Of the
bayonet through the States in rebellion,
have left the people possibly in that con-
dition not to yield that ready obedience
to civil authority the American people
have generally been in the habit Of
yielding. This would render the pres
ence Of small garrisons throughout those
State necessary until such time as labor
returns to its proper channel, and civil
authority is fully established. l did not
meet and one, either those holding place
under the Government or citizens Of
Southern States, who thought it practica-
BILE to withdraw the military from the
South at present. The white and black
naturally require the protection of the
General Government. There is such
universal acquiescence in the authority
of the General Government throughout
the portions of the country visited by me,
that the mere presence of military
force, without regard to numbers, is suffi-
cient to maintain order.
The good of the country requires that
u force be kept in the interior where there
are many freedmen Elsewhere in the
Southern States than at forts on the sea-
coast no force is necessary. The reasons
for this are obvious. Without mention
ing any of them, the presence of black
troops, lately slaves, demoralizcs labor
both by their edvice and furnishing in
their camps resort for the freedmen for
long distances around. White troops
generally excite no opposition, and,
therefore, n smaller number of them can
MAINTAIN order in given district. Col
ored troops must be kept in bodies sufi-
cient to defend themselves. 1t is not the
thinking man who would do violence to-
ward any class of troops sent among
them by the General Government, but
the ignorant in some places might:
and the late slave, too, who might be i'm
bued with the idea that the property
of his late master should by right belong
to him, at least should have no protection
from the colored soldier. There is no
danger of collision being brought on
by such cases.
NY observations lead ME to the conclu-
sions that tile Southern States are anx-
ious TO return to selfgovernment within
the Union as soon as possible; that while
reconstructing they want and require
protection from the Government that
they think is required Of the Govern
ment, and is not unmilitary to them rs
citizens, and if such course was pointed
out they would pursue it in good faith.
1t is to be regretted that there cannot be
greater commingling at this time be-
tween the citizens of the two sections,
and particularly of those intrusted with
the law making power.
1 did not give the operations of the
Freedman's Bureau that attention l
would have done if more time had been
at my disposal. Conversations, howcv-
er, on the subject with officers connected
with the bureau lead me to think that in
some of the States its affairs have been
conducted with good judgment or econo-
my, and that the belief widely spread
among the freedmen of the Southern
States that the lands of their former
owners will, at least in part, be divided
among them, have come from agents Of
the bureau. This belief is seriously in
terfering with the willingness of the freed
men to make contracts for the coming
year. In some form the Frcedmen's Bu-
reau is an absolute necessity until the
civil law is established and enforced, Sc
curing to freedmen their rights and full
protection. At present, however, it is
independent of the military establish.
ment of the country, and seems to be OPP
Grated by the different agents of the bu-
reau according to their individual notions.
Everywhere Gen. Howard, the able head
of the bureau, has made friends by the
Just and fair instructions and advice be
gave, but the complaint in South Caroli-
na was, that when he left things went on
as before. Many, perhaps minority, of
the agents Of the Freedmen's Bureau ad-
Al l. Al