Records of the Field Offices for the State of Texas, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865–1870
odd: label: Freedmen's Bureau Personnel in Texas
content: This list provides the names and dates of service of known Freedmen's Bureau personnel at selected subordinate field offices for Texas. Additional information regarding persons assigned to various field offices might be found among the Bureau's Washington headquarters station books and rosters of military officers and civilians on duty in the states and other appointment–related records.

AUSTIN

Oct. 1866–Feb. 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner Byron Porter

Feb. 1867–Apr. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner James Oakes

Apr.–June 1868 and Aug.–Dec. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner Clarence Mauck

June–Nov. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner Ebenezer Gay

BASTROP

Feb. 1867–Apr. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner Byron Porter

May–Aug. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner W. H. Horton

Oct.–Dec. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner David S. Beath

BEAUMONT

June 1867–Nov. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner J. H. Archer

BELTON

July–Oct. 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner Mathew Young

Oct.–Dec. 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner Charles C. Stiles

BOSTON

July 1867–Oct. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner William G. Kirkman

BRENHAM

Apr.–Dec. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner F. P. Wood

BROWNSVILLE

Apr.–Aug. 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner Charles H. Morse

Aug. 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner Joseph J. Reynolds

Oct.–Dec. 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner R. S. Mackenzie

BRYAN

June–Dec. 1866 -- Subassistant Commissioner N. H. Handlett (at Courtney)

Feb. 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner De Witt Brown (at Navasota)

May 1867–Jan. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner N. H. Handlett (at Anderson)

Mar.–May 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner N. H. Handlett

Oct.–Dec. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner James Gillette

CENTERVILLE

Mar.–July 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner Fred W. Reinhard

July 1867–Jan. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner J. H. Bradford

 Feb. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner Edwin Turnock

CLARKSVILLE

Dec. 1867–July 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner (See Marlin)

Sept.–Dec. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner George Sharkley

CLINTON

Apr. 1867–Dec. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner Hiram Clark

COLUMBIA

Jan. 1866–May 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner James Hutchison

May–June 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner John F. Stokes

June–Oct. 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner P. F. Duggan

Oct.–Dec. 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner A. F. N. Rolfe

Jan.–Nov. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner Arthur B. Honer

COLUMBUS

Apr.–July 1866 -- Subassistant Commissioner J. Ernest Goodman

Nov. 1866 and Jan. 1867–Feb. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner Enon M. Harris

Feb.–Dec. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner Louis W. Stevenson

COTTON GIN

Apr.–June 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner A. F. Manning

June–Oct. 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner Charles E. Culver

Dec. 1867  -- Subassistant Commissioner James T. Hill

 Jan.–Mar. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner Robert P. Wilson

Aug.–Sept. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner David S. Beath

Oct.–Nov. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner T. M. K. Smith

CROCKETT

May 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner Louis H. Jacobs

Aug.–Oct. 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner F. W. Reinhard

Sept.–Oct. 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner D. S. Hunsaker

Sept.–Nov. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner Henry C. Lacy

Nov. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner James Gilchrist

GALVESTON

Jan.–May 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner A. Doubleday

June–July 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner Henry Norton

Aug. 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner T. J. Kratz

Sept. 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner E. M. Wheelock

Nov. 1867–Apr. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner G. M. Bascom

May–Aug. and Nov. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner George H. Cram

HALLETTSVILLE

May–June 1866 -- Subassistant Commissioner J. Albert Saylor

Oct. 1866–Apr. 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner W. H. Hiestand

May 1867–Mar. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner Phineas Stevens

HOUSTON

Oct.–Dec. 1865 -- Superintendent and Provost Marshal I. C. De Gress

Dec. 1865–Jan. 1866 -- Subassistant Commissioner George Gladwin

Jan.–Sept. 1866 -- Subassistant Commissioner Byron Porter

Sept. 1866 -- Subassistant Commissioner H. H. Edlefron

Oct.–Dec. 1866 -- Subassistant Commissioner I. C. De Gress

Jan.–June 1867  -- Subassistant Commissioner Walter B. Pease

June–Oct. 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner J. D. O'Connell

Oct.–Dec. 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner William M. Van Horn

Jan.–Mar. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner Walter B. Pease

Mar.–June 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner William M. Van Horn

June–Dec. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner M. E. Davis

HUNTSVILLE

Oct. 1866–June 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner James C. Devine

June 1867–May 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner James P. Butler

LIBERTY

Aug. 1866–Feb. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner A. H. Mayer

Mar.–Dec. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner A. H. Cox

LOCKHART

June–Dec. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner Thomas H. Baker

MARLIN

Jan.–Nov. 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner F. B. Sturgis

Aug.–Dec. 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner Charles F. Rand (at Gilmer)

Dec. 1867–July 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner Charles F. Rand (at Clarksville)

Oct.–Dec. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner Charles F. Rand

MARSHAL

Dec. 1866–May 1867  -- Subassistant Commissioner Charles F. Rand

May 1867–Mar. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner Adam G. Malloy

Apr.–Sept. 1868  -- Subassistant Commissioner T. M. K. Smith

Sept.–Oct. 1868  -- Subassistant Commissioner H. Sweeney

Oct.–Dec. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner E. C. Henshaw

MATAGORDA

May–Sept. 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner William Garretson

MERIDIAN

Jan. 1866–Jan. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner Philip Howard

NACOGDOCHES

Oct.–Nov. 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner T. M. K. Smith

May–Dec. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner Alex Ferguson

PALESTINE

Dec. 1868–Jan. 1869 -- Subassistant Commissioner Alfred Hedberg

RICHMOND

Jan.–July 1866 -- Subassistant Commissioner Sam C. Sloan

Oct.–Nov. 1866 -- Subassistant Commissioner Charles C. Hardenbrook

Aug.–Oct. 1866 and Dec. 1866–Dec. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner William H. Rock

SAN ANTONIO

June–Sept. 1866 -- Subassistant Commissioner Joseph Ferguson

Nov. 1866 -- Subassistant Commissioner F. B. Sturgis

Mar.–May 1867  -- Subassistant Commissioner Edward W. Whittemore

May 1867–Sept. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner John S. Mason

Sept.–Oct. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner J. W. Eckles

Oct.–Dec. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner J. R. Fitch

SEGUIN

Jan.–Oct. 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner George W. Smith

Oct. 1867–Mar. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner E. W. Whittemore

June–Sept. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner C. C. Raymond

STERLING

Sept. 1866 -- Subassistant Commissioner Lemuel K. Morton

Apr. 1867–Dec. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner J. L. Randall

SUMPTER

Sept.–Nov. 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner H. S. Johnson

Apr.–Dec. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner Charles Schmidt

TYLER

Mar. 1867–Mar. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner David L. Montgomery

Mar.–Sept. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner Gregory Barrett, Jr.

Oct.–Nov. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner W. T. Hartz

Nov.–Dec. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner Horace Jewett

WACO

Jan.–Feb. 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner A. F. Manning

Feb.–Mar. 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner Edwin Mauck

Mar.–Apr. 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner A. W. Evans

Apr.–Nov. 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner James Jay (J.J.) Emerson

Dec. 1867–Mar. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner Emerson D. F. Stiles

Mar.–Dec. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner Charles Haughn

WHARTON

Jan.–July 1866 -- Subassistant Commissioner J. W. McConaughy

Nov. 1866 -- Subassistant Commissioner Charles F. Rand

Dec. 1866–Feb. 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner W. H. Horton

Apr.–May 1867 -- Subassistant Commissioner De Witt Brown

June 1867–Jan. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner Ira H. Evans

Feb.–Dec. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner Nesbit B. Jenkins
topic: label: Topic
content: American South
label: Topic
content: Freedmen's Bureau
label: Topic
content: Reconstruction, U.S. history, 1865-1877
label: Topic
content: Slaves -- Emancipation
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Acquired from FamilySearch International in 2015.
setName: label: See more items in
content: Records of the Field Offices for the State of Texas, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865–1870
abstract: label: Summary
content: The collection is comprised of digital surrogates previously available on the 28 rolls of microfilm described in the NARA publication M1912. These digital surrogates reproduced the records of the Texas Field Offices of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865–1870, including previous unfilmed records of the Office of the Assistant Commissioner, and records of the office of staff officers and subordinate field offices. These records consist of bound volumes and unbound records, including letters received and endorsements, monthly school reports, and other records relating to freedmen's complaints and contracts.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 28 Reels
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1865–1870
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAAHC.FB.M1912
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Reels
bibliography: label: Historical Note
content: [The following is reproduced from the original NARA descriptive pamphlet for M1912.]

HISTORY AND ORGANIZATION

The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, also known as the Freedmen's Bureau, was established in the War Department by an act of Congress on March 3, 1865 (13 Stat. 507). The life of the Bureau was extended twice by acts of July 16, 1866 (14 Stat. 173), and July 6, 1868 (15 Stat. 83). The Bureau was responsible for the supervision and management of all matters relating to refugees and freedmen, and of lands abandoned or seized during the Civil War. In May 1865, President Andrew Johnson appointed Maj. Gen. Oliver Otis Howard as Commissioner of the Bureau, and Howard served in that position until June 30, 1872, when activities of the Bureau were terminated in accordance with an act of June 10, 1872 (17 Stat. 366). While a major part of the Bureau's early activities involved the supervision of abandoned and confiscated property, its mission was to provide relief and help freedmen become self–sufficient. Bureau officials issued rations and clothing, operated hospitals and refugee camps, and supervised labor contracts. In addition, the Bureau managed apprenticeship disputes and complaints, assisted benevolent societies in the establishment of schools, helped freedmen in legalizing marriages entered into during slavery, and provided transportation to refugees and freedmen who were attempting to reunite with their family or relocate to other parts of the country. The Bureau also helped black soldiers, sailors, and their heirs collect bounty claims, pensions, and back pay.

The act of March 3, 1865, authorized the appointment of Assistant Commissioners to aid the Commissioner in supervising the work of the Bureau in the former Confederate states, the border states, and the District of Columbia. While the work performed by Assistant Commissioners in each state was similar, the organizational structure of staff officers varied from state to state. At various times, the staff could consist of a superintendent of education, an assistant adjutant general, an assistant inspector general, a disbursing officer, a chief medical officer, a chief quartermaster, and a commissary of subsistence. Subordinate to these officers were the assistant superintendents, or subassistant commissioners as they later became known, who commanded the subdistricts.

The Assistant Commissioner corresponded extensively with both his superior in the Washington Bureau headquarters and his subordinate officers in the subdistricts. Based upon reports submitted to him by the subassistant commissioners and other subordinate staff officers, he prepared reports that he sent to the Commissioner concerning Bureau activities in areas under his jurisdiction. The Assistant Commissioner also received letters from freedmen, local white citizens, state officials, and other non–Bureau personnel. These letters varied in nature from complaints to applications for jobs in the Bureau. Because the assistant adjutant general handled much of the mail for the Assistant Commissioner's office, it was often addressed to him instead of to the Assistant Commissioner.

In a circular issued by Commissioner Howard in July 1865, the Assistant Commissioners were instructed to designate one officer in each state to serve as "General Superintendents of Schools." These officials were to "take cognizance of all that is being done to educate refugees and freedmen, secure proper protection to schools and teachers, promote method and efficiency, correspond with the benevolent agencies which are supplying his field, and aid the Assistant Commissioner in making his required reports." In October 1865, a degree of centralized control was established over Bureau educational activities in the states when Rev. John W. Alvord was appointed Inspector of Finances and Schools. In January 1867, Alvord was divested of his financial responsibilities, and he was appointed General Superintendent of Education.

An act of Congress, approved July 25, 1868 (15 Stat. 193), ordered that the Commissioner of the Bureau "shall, on the first day of January next, cause the said bureau to be withdrawn from the several States within which said bureau has acted and its operation shall be discontinued." Consequently, in early 1869, with the exception of the superintendents of education and the claims agents, the Assistant Commissioners and their subordinate officers were withdrawn from the states. 

For the next year and a half the Bureau continued to pursue its education work and to process claims. In the summer of 1870, the superintendents of education were withdrawn from the states, and the headquarters staff was greatly reduced. From that time until the Bureau was abolished by an act of Congress approved June 10, 1872 (17 Stat. 366), effective June 30, 1872, the Bureau's functions related almost exclusively to the disposition of claims. The Bureau's records and remaining functions were then transferred to the Freedmen's Branch in the office of the Adjutant General. The records of this branch are among the Bureau's files.

THE FREEDMEN'S BUREAU IN TEXAS

ORGANIZATION

Brig. Gen. Edgar M. Gregory, the first Assistant Commissioner of Texas, established his headquarters at Galveston in September 1865. Brig. Gen. Joseph Kiddoo relieved Gregory in May 1866 and was himself succeeded by Maj. Gen. Charles Griffin in January 1867. When Griffin died in office in September 1867, Maj. Gen. Joseph J. Reynolds assumed the duties of Assistant Commissioner but was absent from actual duty until November 1867; in the interim, Lt. Charles Garretson, the acting assistant adjutant general, acted as Assistant Commissioner. Upon his arrival, Reynolds moved the headquarters from Galveston to Houston, where it remained until the Bureau ended its operations in the state. In January 1869, Maj. Gen. Edward R. S. Canby succeeded Reynolds who subsequently resumed office in April and served until the Bureau, except for the Superintendent of Education, withdrew from Texas in December 1870.

Beginning in 1867, the Assistant Commissioner of Texas also served as the military commander of the state. Although the Assistant Commissioners created and received records in both aspects of their dual capacities, they appear to have maintained separate sets of records for each. The records that they created and received as military commanders of Texas are among the Records of United States Army Continental Commands, 1821–1920, RG 393, and are not reproduced in this publication.

ACTIVITIES

Although the Freedmen's Bureau did not begin operations in Texas until September 1865, its major activities there generally resembled those conducted in other states. The Bureau provided relief, supervised labor contracts between planters and freedmen, administered justice, and worked with benevolent societies in the establishment of schools. The Freedmen's Bureau's relief efforts in Texas were minimal and consisted chiefly of issuing food and medicine. Freedmen received beef and pork, bread, peas, corn, coffee, and tea. By fall 1866, the Texas Bureau limited rations to hospitals and asylums. The Bureau established only one hospital in the state, and it survived less than one year.1

The regulation of written labor agreements between planters and freedmen was a major concern of the Freedmen's Bureau in Texas. When Brig. Gen. Edgar M. Gregory assumed his duties as Assistant Commissioner in September 1865, he found the existing labor contract system, established by Union Army Gen. Gordon Granger, in trouble. Blacks distrusted planters for fear of being re–enslaved, but also delayed signing contracts in the belief that on Christmas 1865 the Federal Government planned to distribute lands of former owners to them. Planters believed that freedmen were "lazy" and would not work unless coerced, and some who entered into labor agreements with freedmen cheated them of their wages and shares of the crops. Gregory attempted to promote cooperation, informing freedmen that while they would be allowed to work for whomever they please, "a life of idleness [would] not be encouraged or allowed." Planters were told that their success was tied directly to the fair and just treatment of freedmen, and any person or persons who acted to the contrary would be arrested and punished.2

In May 1866, the Assistant Commissioner sought to protect both planters and freedmen from individuals who attempted to persuade blacks to break their contracts under the pretext of higher wages. New orders specified that anyone convicted of such practices could be fined as much as $500, and freedmen enticed away from fair agreements were subject to fines not to exceed $25. Assistant Commissioners' efforts to eliminate the distrust among freedmen and planters fell short, but most areas of the state reported an increase in contract signings by spring 1868.3

Safeguarding rights and securing justice for freedmen was also a Bureau priority. Following the Civil War, several Southern states enacted a series of laws, commonly known as "black codes," that restricted the rights and legal status of freedmen. Freedmen were often given harsh sentences for petty crimes and in some instances were unable to get their cases heard in state courts. In 1866, the 11th Texas Legislature enacted a series of laws that restricted freedmen in matters of labor, vagrancy, apprenticeship, court testimony, property ownership, and a number of other areas. The Bureau could not effectively address these restrictive laws due to jurisdictional claims that often overlapped with those of the civil courts and the U. S. military. Civil courts claimed jurisdiction over all criminal cases, and military officials reserved the right to handle cases involving soldiers and Federal Government personnel. The Bureau claimed exclusive authority over all cases involving freedmen. To advance its claim, the Bureau established three–member courts consisting of a subordinate chosen by the Assistant Commissioner and two civilians, one selected by each party involved in a given case. Bureau courts could impose fines up to $100 and prison sentences of as much as 30 days. Convictions could be appealed to the Assistant Commissioner, the Commissioner, the Secretary of War, and the President of the United States.4

However, with limited military power and the inability to enforce decisions and protect freedmen from being "maltreated and murdered," the Bureau was forced to transfer most of its cases to civil courts. The agency was limited to trying only those cases involving whippings and beatings. In January 1867, Assistant Commissioner Charles Griffin ordered his subordinates to direct all criminal cases to civil officials. Bureau agents could, however, advise blacks who were involved in civil cases. On November 29, 1867, Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock, Fifth District Military Commander, brought Bureau judicial activities to a halt.5

The Bureau officially began its educational efforts in Texas with the appointment of E. M. Wheelock as superintendent of schools in October 1865. Wheelock served until February 1867, when he became inspector of schools, a position he held until June 1867. Others holding the position of superintendent of schools included Lt. I. P. Kirkman (Mar.–Oct. 1867); Lt. Charles Garretson (Oct.–Nov. 1867); E. M. Wheelock (Nov. 1867–Apr. 1868); Rev. Joseph Welch and E. C. Bartholomew, acting superintendent (1869 and 1870); Louis Stevenson (Mar.–July 1870); and Bartholomew (July–Dec. 1870), until all Bureau officers were withdrawn from Texas in December 1870.

The Bureau established and maintained schools and examined and appointed teachers. It paid teachers' salaries, provided for their transportation, and paid for construction and repair of school buildings and for the rent of properties used for educational purposes. Private organizations and individuals also established and financed freedmen's schools in Texas. Many schools were established by local whites and freedmen, although subsequently the Bureau provided them direction and support. The American Missionary Association provided some of the pay for teachers it recruited, and salaries were partially subsidized by contributions from freedmen. By Bureau policy, subscriptions were to be solicited from freedmen whenever possible for establishing schools, and tuition was to be charged for each student in attendance.

The schools maintained by the Bureau in Texas included day schools for children, night schools for adults, and Sunday schools for both groups. Reporting only one freedmen school and 80 students in September 1865, the Bureau reported in summer 1866 that the number of schools had increased to 72, with an enrollment of more than 4,300 pupils. The school regulations devised by the office of the superintendent of education specified that reading, writing, and arithmetic were vital to the success of freedmen; and those subjects received the greatest emphasis in most Bureau schools. Teachers were recruited from the local white population, freedmen themselves, and from the North by freedmen's aid societies. In 1867, to increase the Bureau's educational fund, Assistant Commissioner Joseph Kiddoo instructed his subassistant commissioners to charge both planters and freedmen a fee for labor contracts they approved. Kiddoo also worked out an agreement with the American Missionary Association to provide more teachers in Texas. Between 1868 and 1870, despite a slight decline in teacher recruitment and student enrollment, the Bureau's education programs remained reasonably stable. The Bureau's educational activities in Texas ceased as of December 1870.6

ENDNOTES

1 Diane Neal and Thomas W. Kremm, "'What Shall We Do With the Negro?' The Freedmen's Bureau in Texas," East Texas Historical Journal 27, No. 2 (1989): 25; see also Senate Ex. Doc. No. 6, 39th Cong., 2nd Sess., Serial Vol. 1276, 153 – 155.

2 Neal and Kremm, "What Shall We Do With the Negro?," 26, 27; see also Circular No. 1, October 12, 1865, Vol. 9 (Texas), reproduced on Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of Texas, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865–1869 (National Archives Microfilm Publication M821, Roll 19), Record Group 105, National Archives, Washington, DC.

3 Sen. Ex. Doc. No. 6, 39th Cong., 2nd Sess., 141 – 142; see also Neal and Kremm, "What Shall We Do With the Negro?" 28.

4 Neal and Kremm, "What Shall We Do With the Negro?," 25; For a discussion of the Freedmen's Bureau in Texas and Texas black codes, see Barry A. Crouch, "To Enslave the Rising Generation,' The Freedmen's Bureau and the Texas Black Code," in The Freedmen's Bureau and Reconstruction: Reconsiderations, eds. Paul A. Cimbala and Randall M. Miller, (New York: Fordham University Press, 1999), 261 – 285.

5 Neal and Kremm, "What Shall We Do With the Negro?" 25; see also Barry A. Crouch, "A Spirit of Lawlessness: White Violence; Texas Blacks, 1865–1868," Journal of Social History 18, No. 2 (Winter 1984), 217 – 232.

6 James Smallwood, "Black Education in Reconstruction Texas: The Contributions of the Freedmen's Bureau and Benevolent Societies," East Texas Historical Journal 19, No. 1 (1981), 17 – 40; see also Senate Ex. Doc. No. 6, 39th Cong., 2nd Sess., 148 – 150.
scopecontent: label: Records Description
content: These records consist of volumes and unbound records. The volumes reproduced in this microfilm publication were originally arranged by the Freedmen's Bureau by type of record and thereunder by volume number. No numbers were assigned to series consisting of single volumes. Years later, all volumes were assigned numbers by the Adjutant General's Office (AGO) of the War Department after the records came into its custody. In this  publication, AGO numbers are shown in parentheses to aid in identifying the volumes. The National Archives assigned the volume numbers that are not in parentheses. In some volumes, particularly in indexes and alphabetical headings of registers, there are blank numbered pages that have not been filmed.

The volumes consist of endorsements sent and received, registers of letters received, press copies of letters sent, letters sent, special orders issued, registers of complaints, and registers of contracts. The unbound documents consist of letters received, registered letters received, receipts, accounts, affidavits and settlements, reports of persons and articles hired, and miscellaneous records. Note: The single letter comprising the series Letters Received from Houston, for January 1865, is missing.

Some of the volumes contain more than one type of record, reflecting a common recording practice of clerks and staff officers in that period. For example, 4.36.2.1, Endorsements Sent from Richmond, vol. 1 (146), also contains a register of complaints and a register of contracts. Researchers should read carefully the records descriptions and arrangements in the finding aid to make full use of these records.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: See also Freedmen's Bureau Digital Collection