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Office Assistant Commission, State of Alabama,
Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands.

Montgomery, Ala., March 19th 1866

General
Col. Edwards starts to Washington to night and I write hoping that he will find you there. 
I do not think that the condition of affairs as far as "reconstruction" goes is improving. The act of sending down assistance to Mr. Comstock at Camden of which I wrote you in my last seems to have exasperated the people and they made an assault on his Office breaking the windows and generally "cleaning him out." At my request Col. Hially telegraphed to the Commanding Officer at Selma to send down an Officer with his Company which has been done. If they interfere again some body will get hurt.
On Friday last Col. Harmount sent a guard of three men to Chambers County near West Point to arrest a man who had shot a negro. The civil authorities had refused to act. The guard on reaching the house found the man concealed and before they could reach him his friends assembled around and a regular fight ensued in which our men were driven off. They think however that they wounded one or two of the party. Col. Hially will send up a company to night

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