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Scooba Kemper County Mississippi
May 21st 1866

Maj Genl W. Swayne
Commissioner of Freedmen's Bureau
For the State of Alabama

Sir
Having made application to the Quartermaster Genl for the recovery of a Sett of Steam Mills located near this place and being referred by him to the Secretary of the Treasury and being informed by him the Secretary of the Treasury. That all Such property was turned over to the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands to be disposed of accordingly he referred me to you. I therefore make this application to you for the reasons of said mills consisting of Grist. Flouring and Saw that was sold last October by order of Mr. R. V. Montague at that time collector of custom for the port of Mobile Alabama.

In the first place I will give you a full statement of the facts connected with the Mill so that you can judge for yourself whether my claims are just or not. Having been disabled for life at the Battle of Gettys, Burg by the loss of my right leg, I succeeded in getting a discharge from the Confederate army. came home and bought the aforesaid mills and erected them near this place where I was doing a good business when the Confederate authorities impressed them into their own Service. Having failed in getting the mills released I became disgusted at the manner in which they acted quit and went off to School in Virginia and while there my father sold said mills to the confederate government without my knowledge or consent and of which fact I was not aware of untill my return home from school in Virginia after the surrender of the confederate armies.