Orders, Circulars, Circular Letters, and Letters of Instruction
setName: label: See more items in
content: Records of the Assistant Commissioner for State of Virginia, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865–1869
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAAHC.FB.M1048, Series 5
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The records of the Assistant Commissioner include seven volumes of orders, circulars, circular letters, and letters of instruction issued and unbound issuances received.

General orders, circulars, circular letters, and letters of instruction were often used interchangeably to convey information to staff and subordinate officers. These directives relate to matters of general interest, including the implementation of Bureau policies in Virginia, duties of subordinate personnel, administrative procedures, acts of the Congress, and issuances from Bureau headquarters in Washington. Special orders normally communicate information of less general interest, such as duty assignments of individual field officers, appointments of boards of investigation, and the restoration of abandoned lands and property to former owners.

The seven volumes, June 15, 1865–April 24, 1869, are arranged in two parts. In part 1, 1865–1867, the issuances are arranged chronologically without regard to type of issuance. In part 2, 1868–1869, the arrangement is generally by type of issuance and thereunder chronologically. Each volume has a name index.

The unbound series of issuances received, May 1865–April 1869, is arranged by year, thereunder alphabetically by issuing office, and thereunder chronologically. The issuances consist of general orders, special orders, circular, and circular letters. Many of the special orders are extracts rather than complete orders and relate to Bureau officials in Virginia. There are name indexes for the special orders and lists of some general orders and circulars.