52 



AKKANSAS. 



General Ord immediately returned the fol- 

 lowing reply: 



HEADQUARTERS FOURTH MILITARY DISTRICT 1 



(MISSISSIPPI AND ARKANSAS), 

 _ VICKSBUEG, Miss., September 4, 1S67. ) 

 Col. C. O. Gilbert, Commanding Camden, Arkansas : 

 SIR: Your letter of the 15th ultimo, in which you 

 attempt to justify the act of a party of soldiers, who, 

 misled by an officer, forcibly entered a citizen's house 

 and * destroyed his property, is received. You will 

 please explain why this act was not prevented by 

 you as post commander, and if the requirements of 

 the 32d Article of War have been complied with. 



.Your assertion that the military forces are not the 

 servants of the people of Arkansas, but rather their 

 masters, is unjust, both to the people and military, 

 and unfounded in fact. The military forces are the 

 servants of the laws, and the laws are for the benefit 

 of the people. Section 3 of the act of Congress for 

 the more efficient government of the rebel States 

 makes it the duty ofthe military "to protect all per- 

 sons in their rights of person and property, to sup- 

 press insurrection, disorder, and violence, and to 

 punish, or cause to be punished, all disturbers ofthe 

 public peace," etc. So that, instead of presuming 

 to violate those laws to gratify private revenge, 

 troops are placed in Arkansas to insure their execu- 

 tion, equally upon and for the benefit of all. 



The assumption that a party of soldiers could, at 

 their own option, forcibly destroy a citizen's prop- 

 erty, and commit a gross violation of the public 

 peace, would not be tolerated under a "Napoleon." 

 In every case where citizens or soldiers are 

 (vronged, the laws of Congress now provide a 

 prompt mode of obtaining redress ; especially is this 

 within the reach of the military, who can be organ- 

 ized into courts for the protection of its own mem- 

 bers, with authority vested in district commanders 

 to execute their judgments, and in no case has the 

 district commander failed to protect the officers and 

 soldiers under his command from outrage, when en- 

 gaged in their legitimate duties. 

 A prompt reply is requested to this. 

 I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 



E. 0. C. ORD, 



Brevet Major-General Commanding. 

 This letter was followed by an order for the 

 trial of the accused by a court-martial to be as- 

 sembled at Camden. The sentence of the court, 

 as approved, was in these words: "And the 

 court does, therefore, sentence the said Brevet 

 Major George S. Peirce, captain Twenty-eighth 

 United States Infantry, to forfeit his monthly 

 pay for one year, and to be degraded in rank, 

 so that he shall have his name placed on the 

 list of captains of infantry, and shall take rank 

 next^ after the fifty captains now next below 

 him in rank, and to be reprimanded in general 

 orders." 



A further circular relative to the registration 

 of voters, and subsequent proceedings, was is- 

 sued on August 8th, as follows : 



[CIRCULAR.] 



HEADQUARTERS FOURTH MILITARY DISTRICT 

 (MISSISSIPPI AND ARKANSAS), 

 OFFICE OF CIVIL AFFAIRS, 

 VICKSBITRG, Miss., Auffust 6, 186T. j 

 I. bection 4, of the supplementary Act of Con- 

 gress relating to reconstruction, published in general 

 orders No. 71, current series, from the adjutant-gen- 

 eral's office, makes it the duty of the commanders 

 of the military districts, created in connection with 

 the same subject, to remove from office all persons 

 who are disloyal to the Government of the United 

 States, or who use their official influence in any man- 

 ner to hinder, delay, prevent, or obstruct the due 



and proper administration of this act and the acts to 

 which it is supplementary ; and, in consequence, sub- 

 district and post commanders and supervisors of 

 registration are required to report in detail all of- 

 fences of the nature thus described, committed by 

 persons subject to removal under the provisions of 

 the different laws above referred to, in order that if 

 the reports are substantiated the laws may be dulv 

 enforced. 



II. In addition to the examination into the ante- 

 cedents of any doubtful person presenting himself 

 for registration already directed in the circulars from 

 these headquarters, sections 5 and 6, of the above 

 referred to supplementary act, makes it the duty of 

 each Board of Registration to exercise a still closer 

 scrutiny respecting the qualifications of applicants 

 for registry. The boards will> therefore, in future, 

 be regulated by these more stringent rules, and the 

 work which they have already performed will be re- 

 vised at the time and in the manner hereafter di- 

 rected, so as to conform strictly to the provisions of 

 the new law. 



III. The Boards of Registration will continue and 

 complete the work which has been assigned to them 

 without interruption, governing themselves strictlv 

 by the instructions heretofore given, and such modi- 

 fications as have been made by more recent laws and 

 orders. And they will keep lists of the persons ap- 

 plying for and insisting upon registry, whom they 

 regard as disqualified ; but no person, concerning 

 whom doubts are entertained, will be registered. 

 The registration will be regarded as finished when 

 two copies or county books have been completed ; 

 immediately after which, one copy will be brought 

 by a member of the board to these headquarters, to- 



f ether with a list of persons aa above referred to, 

 ut the duplicate will be retained by the board along 

 with precinct books. 



IV. After the completion of the registry, due no- 

 tice will be given of the time when the election will 

 take place, and specific instructions will be given 

 with regard to the manner of holding it; but, four- 

 teen days previous to the day of election, each board 

 will meet as is prescribed in the seventh section of 

 the last supplementary act, at the county-seat or 

 other more prominent locality, and will then con- 

 tinue in session during five days, to revise the books 

 of registration. At this revision the names of all 

 persons who have been previously marked as "Re- 

 ported for investigation," and of all others whom the 

 board is satisfied, after due examination, should not 

 have been registered, will be erased. Likewise, new 

 names may be added to the registers in the proper 

 manner, and separate lists of the names so registered 

 and those erased from the registers will be prepared 

 and forwarded to these headquarters, as were the 

 lists of those who were refused registration and who 

 demanded that fact to be recorded. 



The corrected county and precinct books will, after 

 the revision, be retained by the registrars until 

 needed for the election. 



By command of Brevet Major-General ORD. 

 A. BAIRD, Brevet Major-General, 



Assistant Inspector-General U. S. Army. 



The 31st day of August was the time fixed 

 for the registration to close ; but an extension of 

 time was given in all necessary cases. Various 

 decisions were rendered by the local boards re- 

 specting persons entitled to registration. In 

 Little Eock, the board held that militia officers, 

 deputy sheriff's, deputy clerks, postmasters, or 

 mayors and aldermen of corporate towns, who 

 afterward engaged in the Confederate cause, 

 were excluded. In Independence county over- 

 seers of roads were deemed to be excluded. 



Another circular was addressed to supervisors, 

 inspectors, and boards of registry, on August 



