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Rural Retreat Wythe County Va
May the 8th 1869

General Sir

[[crossed out]]the report[[/crossed out]]I have the honor to report that I have been to Smyth County on the 29 of Feb and spoke to the freedman there they allso went to work and bout land and built a shool [[school]] house on it. But they was some of them free before the war. But were I an they ware all slaves and have no [[crossed out]]vergeance[[/crossed out]] Easern vergieans [[virginians?]] who always worked under and and oveseen no nothing about property the whte men quit plowing commenced working for me thinking that they would get pay from the Govment for it and they cannot look to the poor freed men for anything from they never had any protection from the Govermment I wish to know whether rent will be allowed for the marsh school pleas let me know before the

Transcription Notes:
A lot of poor English in this one - provided what I could in understanding what the author has written Edit: Filled in the blanks and added the strikethrough.