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346 679 State of Alabama, Bureau R.F. and A.L. Office Asst Commissioner Montgomery Ala Feby 3, 1868 341/350 Harrison Capt Robert Sub Asst Commissioner Huntsville Ala. /355 Taylor Lieut A.C. Sub Asst Commissioner Greenville Ala. 341/352 Bartlette Mr C.C. Sub Asst Commissioner Selma Ala. 334/352 McGogy Mr J.F. Sub Asst Commissioner Talladega Ala. Sir Indigent sick Freed people will be admitted to Hospital only upon the order of the Sub Asst Com'mr. It is desired that great care be taken that only those be admitted who cannot be cared for by their friends or by the Civil Authorities. By order of Bvt Brig Gen'l J. Hayden. Geo. Shorkley Capt 15th Infy. Bvt Maj U.S.A. A.A.A. Gen'l. 680 State of Alabama, Bureau R.F. and A.L. Office Asst Commissioner Montgomery Ala Feb. 3, 1868 317 Gardner Hon Sam'l S. Greenville Ala. Sir: Your communication of the 30th January addressed to General Hayden, Comd'g District of Alabama, has been received. In reply he desires me to say that your removal is to be construed in no other light than as a determination on the part of the Asst Commissioner to segregate the Freedmens Bureau from the influence of politics, as far as lies in his power so to do. It is his determination to insist 347 that the Bureau Agents shall confine themselves exclusively to the moral and material interests of the Colored people & to endeavor to establish kindly reciprocal relations between the white and colored races. This he believes can be brought about by the employment of Army Officers - whenever it can be done without injury to the service - they being, as a class, removed from the arena of politics; and as they cannot gain a residence by being quartered in a State, they are not likely to become partisan in their feelings. You have taken a prominent and active part in the effort to reconstruct the State, in common with many others who desire to see Alabama again in possession of a loyal State Government. This of course draws wide and distinct party lines between yourself and a large proportion of those to whom the colored man must look for employment. I cannot understand how you can fail to see this; and that being the case, how any censure can attach to your removal, or how you can feel humiliated by being relieved by an Officer of the Army, under the circumstances of your surroundings, seeing there is such an endorsement of your course [[strikethrough]] as [[/strikethrough]] accompanying your letter as gives you every assurance that you have the confidence and respect of the loyal people of Greenville. As the Asst Commissioner can see no wrong in what he has done there is no wrong to be corrected. Trusting that this communication may relieve you from all further concern upon the points raised in your letter, the Asst Commissioner begs that you will excuse him for declining further consideration of the subject, as his time is fully occupied upon matters requiring his immediate and constant attention. By order of Bvt Brig Gen'l J. Hayden. Geo. Shorkley Capt 15th Infy. Bvt Maj U.S.A. A.A.A. Gen'l
