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War Department,
Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands.
Washington, December 22nd, 1865

Circular
No 22

[[stamp]] THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF THE UNITED STATES [[/stamp]]

The attention of the Assistant Commissioner is called to the report of the Lieut General dated Dec 18 1865. The most thorough inspection will at once be made and the evils complained of corrected.
No order from the War Department makes the Bureau "independent of the military establishment" and Agents should be furnished with complete instructions according to the orders and circulars issued from this branch of the War Dep't.
Any Agent or Official [[?]] pursuant to act contrary to such instructions will be forthwith uncovered or reported to the Department Commander for trial by Court Martial.
In all matters of a military character the officers and agents within a military department are under the direction of the Department Commander in the same manner as an officer of engineers building a fort in the same