Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - VII. Reconstruction in the South—Third Regiment Mustered Out—The Farewell Order—Sacrifices and Costs of the War
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
ss Story of an Emigrant. 102
the day around an old-fashioned barbecue, and, for nearly
two days and a night, enjoyed a feast of brotherly love and
good will, all proud of the old banner, and happy to be
again united as one people.
"During the summer elections were held for town and
county officers, and as soon as such officers had qualified, the
soldiers, even more readily than the citizens themselves, did
all in their power to uphold their authority. In many
instances good penmen and accountants among the soldiers
gave their services gratuitously to help the newlv-elected civil
officers start their books and accounts. To the honor of the
rebels, especially the returned soldiers, I must say that they
behaved in a most exemplary manner, and accepted the
situation with good grace and acted most cordially and loyally
toward us. The Freedmen’s Bureau was not established
in that district during my time of command, but I was
informed bv a friend, Maj. J. M. Bowler, who had
command the iollowing winter, that the planters generally
yielded to the requirements of that department as soon as it
was established; that they made fair contracts with the
liberated slaves and strictlv and carefully observed them, and
were in all respects considerate toward the freedmen
generally. Of course, I do not mean to say that all the citizens
behaved so well. There were exceptions, even in the first
days ol reconsu notion, and those exceptions were nearly all
by the men who had never faced the Union soldiers in open
battle, but had either skulked or resorted to guerilla
warfare. But I do mean to say that in those early days, before
President Johnson had began to show his final hand, the
rebels were disposed to accept the situation in a manly and
loyal way, and that, if the policy inaugurated by the Union
army had been adhered to, the country would probably
have been saved from the Ku-Klux and other horrors of a
later period.
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
