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the whites and blacks dependent upon the proceeds of the same.

The portion of the State which had been under the control of the Federal troops lying along the Mississippi river was exempt from these evils to a great extent. Many plantations were leased from the Government by northern men, while the owners had remained at home on many others, and were cultivating crops of cotton. The Freedmen were quietly at work receiving wages for their labor, but few changes were made in this district. Many Freedmen were working lands leased from the Government or in colonies under my direction. They were excited with fear lest they should loose their crops when the Plantations were claimed by their owners, but the promulgation of orders from Washington allayed all such feelings.

The surrender of the confederate armies and the return of peace destroyed the designation of White Refugee, as there can be no such class of persons when our authority is completely established. Those who were located in the cities under Federal control returned to their homes, molested by no one, and as