Letter from Colonel Samuel Thomas to General Henry W. Slocum; August 21, 1865

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Letter from Colonel Samuel Thomas to General Henry W. Slocum; August 21, 1865

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Each transcribed document contains links that connect it to other documents on the same topic in the collection.

People

Birchett, George K.Buck, R. S.Collier, J. D.Eldridge, Stuart McCulloch, Hugh, 1808-1895 Miller, J. Warren Montrass, C. A.Scott, R. P.Sharkey, William Lewis, 1798-1873 Slocum, Henry Warner, 1826-1894 Thomas, Samuel, 1840-1903

Events

Crime Crime--Threat Criminal Procedure Criminal Procedure--Arrest Criminal Procedure--Imprisonment Criminal Procedure--Trial Legislation. United States. Congress Political Office--Appointment to office Property Management Property Management--Abandonment of property Property Management--Eviction

Military Units

United States. Army United States. Army. Department of Mississippi United States. Navy

Organizations

Military Headquarters Plantations Plantations--Mississippi Plantations--Mississippi. Scott Plantation United States--Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands United States--Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. District of Mississippi United States--Congress United States--Department of the Treasury United States--War Department United States--War Department. Adjutant-General’s Office

Occupations

Land Commissioners Law Enforcement Lawyers Prison Guard Treasury Agents

Places

Mississippi--Warren County. Vicksburg Tennessee--Davidson County. Nashville

Social Identifiers

African Americans African Americans--Historically Free and Newly Freed

Page 1

[seal]

OFFICE ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER BUREAU REFUGEES, FREEDMEN AND ABANDONED LANDS,
FOR STATE OF MISSISSIPPI,
VICKSBURG, MISS, August 21^st, 1865.

Major General H. W. Slocum,
Comdg Department of Mississippi,

General,

I would repectfully submit the following statement in answer to your request of Aug 7^th_" with reference to the Collier lease case.

About July 20^th_", Mr J. D. Collier called upon me and presented a lease held by him for an abandoned plantation in this county. I examined it and found it to be made out in the usual manner by the proper Treasury Agent, at this place, recorded in their books, &c. He informed me that Mr Scott the former owner of the Plantation had returned and entered a suit of some kind for his eviction before the civil authorities of this County, A copy of the lease is annexed to this document, marked "A". The original is still in the hands of Mr. Collier,

I told Mr Collier that the United States were bound to sustain him, and secure him in the possession of the land as agreed on till January 1^st_" 1865., Ireferred him to a case of similar character at Nashville Tenn., where the lessee was secured in his rights.

I gave him a letter, a copy of which is appended to this state ment, marked "B". This was written at least eight days before the

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trial, and exhibited on its face the course I told Mr Collier to pursue toward the civil authorites

I heard nothing more from anyone about the case till about August 1^st, when Mr J. D. Collier called at my office and made oath that two citizens of this State, by the name of Buck and Birchett were interferring with him in the proper exercise of his powers, as guaranteed by the lease. I immediately sent for the parties and told them they must not interfere with Mr. Collier, that his lease was valid and that I deemed it my duty to sustain him.

These parties informed me there had been a trial of some kind although I must admit I could not see the grounds upon which a trial had been based, After this conversation the parties left, as I never intended or ordered anything more than their appearance at my office, that I might tell them what I thought it was my duty to do in the case.

I made no other threat about the matter than was expressed in my determination to sustain Mr Collier. I considered their conduct meddlesome in the extreme and calculated to do no good either to the client, or the state, and that the suit was brought for the express purpose of bringing on a conflict between the state-authorities and Officers of the General Government.

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Governor Sharkey sustains me in my opinion, and says that the exhibition of a lease from the United States Government by a lessee should secure him from arrest or interference by the officers of the State Government, All the parties connected with this case knew Mr Collier had a regular lease from a proper agent of the United States.

What J. D. Collier did, I do not know; my letter will show what I ordered him to do before the trial came off. Messrs Buck and Burchett were brought to my office as two citizens interfering with a Government lease, on the complaint of said Collier. I told them my views and sent them away. I had nothing to do with them in their official capacity.

They had said publicly they "did not care a damn for Col. Thomas, or any thing he said or did", that they would not obey his orders and would show him that lands could not be held in any such manner.

I treated them in a gentlemanly manner while they were in my office, and would have given them an explanation of the manner in ~~how~~which they were brought up, and how it happened, but they were so abusive and violent that I terminated the interview as soon as it was possible.—I am, General,

Very respectfully,

Sam^l Thoma^s
Col., ^and Asst Com^r of Bureau for Miss.

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ARTICLES OF AGREEMENT.

Memorandum OF AN AGREEMENT made this 15th day of March 1865, between C A Montrass Ass't Special Agent of the Treasury Department, duly appointed under the Acts of Congress approved respectively March 12, 1863, and July 2, 1864, for taking charge of captured and abandoned property, and leasing abandoned and confiscated lands, houses, and tenements in the second Agency, and J D Collier of [gap] in the County of Warren and State of Mississippi

WITNESSETH, That in pursuance of said Acts, and of the instructions of the Secretary of the Treasury, the said Agent, for and in behalf of the United States, agrees, upon the terms hereafter contained, to lease to the said J D Collier from the 5th day of March 1865, to the First day of January 1866, the following described lands and premises, to wit: Scott Plantation situated in Warren County Miss Eleven Miles from Vicksburg between the Benton and Bridgeport Roads Containing Fifty (50) Acres tillable land, More or less

And the said J D Collier hereby agrees that one equal Eight part of the productions realized by the cultivation and working of the plantation aforesaid, shall be promptly gathered, prepared, and delivered to the authorized Agent of the United States at Vicksburg on or before the First day of January 1866, in proper packages and condition for transportation.

And the said J D Collier further agrees in relation to the employment and payment of freedmen worked upon the said plantation, that he will employ and pay them, and provide for their families in compliance with the Regulations of the Secretary of the Treasury, dated July 29, 1864, concerning the employment and general welfare of freedmen, and the Local Rules and Military and Naval Orders hereto appended, which Regulations, Local Rules and Orders, are made a part of this agreement, so far as they relate to employers and employed; and further, that he will do all things required of him by the regulations of the Secretary of the Treasury, concerning, abandoned, captured and confiscable property.

Signed, Sealed and Delivered in presence of

[gap] L. S.
(Signed) J D Collier L. S.

Office Actg Asst Com'r—Freed Mens Bureau for Western Dist Miss. Vicksburg Aug 21, 1865

I certify that this is a true transcript taken from the records in this Office

[?] Capt and
Actg Asst Com'r Freedmans Bureau
W. [H?]. M.

Page 5

[seal]

OFFICE ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER BUREAU REFUGEES, FREEDMEN AND ABANDONED LANDS,
FOR THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI,
VICKSBURG, MISS., July 22^d_", 1865.

J. D Collier, Esq.,

Sir,

Your communication of July 21^st_" with reference to the action of the civil authorities in trying to expel you from a plantation leased by you from a regularly authorized agent of the Gov't, has been rec'd.

Iwould say in answer that the charge of abandoned and leased lands has been given to the War Dept, and they are now under its con-trol. You will be sustained in your rightes and privileges as guaranteed by your lease, if it takes all the armies of the United States to support you. If Mr Scott has claims vs anyone for the seizure of his lands that party is the United States.

I am the authorized agent of the War Dept for your protection. I will arrest and imprison with military guards any party or parties interfering with your rights and privileges under your contract with the United States. —Obey the summons of the Civil authorites, and show them your lease and this letter. Go to you plantation and carry out the agreement made by you with the United States, and let me know when you are interfered with in so doing.

Respectfully,

(signed) Saml Thomas
Col., Asst Com^r_' Freedmen Bureau.

Official Copy:

Stuart Elridge
Lieut and A. A. A. Genl

Page 6

[note] T_#_162-Dep't_" Miss 1865 [/note]

OFFICE ASS'T COMMISSIONER FREEDMEN'S BUREAU,
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI,
VICKSBURG, MISS., Aug 21. 1865.

THOMAS, Col. SAM'L
ASS'T COMMISSIONER FREEDMEN'S BUREAU,
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI.

Submits statement of the Collier lease-case. &c &c., appending copy of his letter to J. D Collier, and copy of Collier's lease.
[gap]

[note] B. 19. FBz UC, 1865 [/note]
[gap]

[note] Rec^d_" A.G.O Dept Miss Aug 24^th 1865 [/note]

Page 7

Head Qrs. Dept of Miss
Vicksburg Aug 24 ^th,, 1865

Respectfully returned to R. S. Buck Esq. In view of all the facts presented in this, the Commanding General declines to inter-fere with the actions of Col. Saml Thomas to whom all business relation to abandoned lands &c is committed.

Byorderof

Major General Slocum

J Warren Miller
Asst, Adj. gen'l.

E &^[checkmark] M
"B" 412

thro^d Ast Office
Vicksburg