FREEDMEN AND REFUGEES. 



375 



men. In Virginia quite an amount of land was 

 libelled and about to be sold by the marshal 

 just previous to the establishment of the Bureau, 

 when the sales were suspended by the Secre- 

 tary of War, in order that these lands might be 

 turned over to the Bureau for the benefit of the 

 freedmen. By the decision of the President, all 

 or nearly all these lands were lost, being re- 

 stored to pardoned persons. Gen. Howard, on 

 the 4th of September, addressed to the Secre- 

 tary of War a proposition, asking, first, that 

 whenever special pardons (i. e. to persons hav- 

 ing over $20,000 worth of property) should be 

 granted by the President, a specific stipulation 

 should be made by the pardoned party, if a 

 landowner, that he would grant to each head 

 of family of his former slaves a homestead, 

 varying in extent from five to ten acres, to bo 

 secured from alienation during the lifetime of 

 the grantee; the location, precise extent, and 

 other details to be determined by three referees, 

 two to be chosen by the interested parties, each 

 selecting one, and the two a third ; and, second, 

 that other persons, not landholders, be condi- 

 tioned according to their several circumstances, 

 by equivalent or proper stipulation, to be de- 

 termined by a committee of three appointed by 

 the President. This suggestion was not acted 

 upon by the President. 



In regard to the employment of the freedmen, 

 the commissioner did not deem it desirable to 

 fix the rate of wages, but to leave it to be regu- 

 lated by the demand. This seemed to be a 

 matter of justice both to the employers and the 

 freedmen, as though in some cases it might 

 have secured compensation at temporarily bet- 

 ter rates to the freedman than he would at first 

 command in the open market, yet in the end he 

 would have been unable to advance beyond the 

 minimum, however much greater might be the 

 real value of his labor, while in the scarcity of 

 labor which existed all over the South, any 

 temporary depression of prices was sure to 

 right itself. The assistant commissioners and 

 their agents were, however, instructed to see to 

 it that in the contracts for labor the freedmen 

 were not wronged, and to compel the observance 

 of contracts on both sides. At first the negroes, 

 on many of the plantations, apprehensive that 

 the cruelties which had hitherto been practised 

 on them by their old masters, Would be con- 

 tinued under the new regime, refused to work 

 for them, and flocked to the towns, cities, vil- 

 lages, and military posts, and sought work 

 there. The commissioner, under these circum- 

 stances, caused his agents to open communica- 

 tions with employers needing laborers North 

 and South, and to procure, as far as possible, 

 good places for these freedmen. Schools were 

 also established at the military posts, some of 

 them of an industrial character, by the various 

 benevolent associations interested in behalf of 

 freedmen, and were aided by the Bureau. 



Government farms, under charge of officers 

 of the Bureau, were also worked to some extent 

 by this surplus and otherwise unemployed pop- 



ulation. There was a very general impression 

 among the freedmen, arising in part, perhaps, 

 from the wording of the law establishing the 

 Bureau, and in part from the talk of both white 

 and colored soldiers, that the lands of disloyal 

 owners would be divided among them, and 

 many of them were averse to making contracts, 

 which, as they imagined, would preclude their 

 receiving their share in those lands. The com- 

 missioner and his agents did all in their power 

 to disabuse them of this impression ; and when 

 Christmas came and went, and they found there 

 were no lands to be divided, they very generally 

 entered into contracts. Their desire for owner- 

 ship of the soil, is, however, in many respects a 

 commendable one, and should, so far as is con- 

 sistent and practicable, be gratified. The eager- 

 ness of the freedmen to acquire the rudiments of 

 education, is another interesting feature in their 

 new condition. In spite of all obstacles, many are 

 determined to learn to read and write. Schools 

 have been established for the purpose of their 

 instruction, both by benevolent associations and 

 by the Bureau, and $27,819.60 was expended 

 for the support of the latter in about six months. 

 " In many parts of the country," says General 

 Howard, " the hostility of the white people to 

 these schools has been undisguised, and every 

 effort has been made to get the buildings, used 

 for school purposes, away from the teachers. 

 It is difficult to describe the odium with which 

 the excellent self-denying school teachers are 

 met ; doubtless the treatment to which they are 

 subjected arises in part from the feelings engen- 

 dered by war, but is mostly due to the prejudice 

 against educating the blocks, and the belief that 

 the teachers are fostering social equality. It is 

 right, however, to say that there are many 

 Southern men who earnestly advocate the in- 

 troduction of schools, and several churches have 

 established them in connection with their organ- 

 izations." 



Transportation has been allowed free to stores 

 and supplies for the benefit of both refugees 

 and freedmen ; to teachers duly authorized by 

 the commissioner or assistant commissioners ; to 

 army officers travelling under the order of the 

 commissioner or his assistants ; and to such des- 

 titute refugees and freedmen as were depend- 

 ent upon the Government for support, to points 

 where they could procure employment or sub- 

 sistence. In six months (June to December, 

 1865) transportation was granted thus to 4,031 

 persons of color, 1,778 white refugees, 1,946 

 freed people, and 307 teachers, etc. ; -and 

 twenty-one boxes and bales were transported 

 free, containing stores for the refugees and 

 freedmen. 



Rations were bestowed sparingly, and only 

 where there was absolute necessity. Teachers, 

 etc., were allowed to purchase rations on the 

 same terms with officers of the army. Depend- 

 ent freedmen and refugees in hospitals, and the 

 wives and children of soldiers were supplied, 

 and a lien taken on the crop for repayment, but 

 this was remitted wherever they were obliged 



