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Bureau Refugees Freedmen and Abandoned Lands Baltimore Md. March 3d 1868 Bvt. Brigadier General H. Brooks U.S. Army Assistant Commissioner Bureau Refugees Freedmen and Abandoned Lands- District of Maryland and Delaware General In compliance with your instructions of yesterday to report my knowledge of the alledged loss of Soldiers discharge certificates by Mr. Hildreth I most respectfully state. Special Order No. 58. from these Head Quarters dated December 10th 1867 directed me to take charge of the claim and Complaint Division of this District. General Gregory than Assistant Commissioner introduced me to Mr. Hildreth, than in charge of the Claim Division, instructing him to turn over to me all Records and Documents pertaining to that branch of the Office, and act as my clerk. General Gregory had previously informed me that some discharges had disappeared from the Office without his consent or knowledge, I therefore at once took possession and an Account of the discharges in Mr. Hildreths desk also took charge of the Receipts, on which discharges had been delivered to their owners. On carefully compairing the discharges and Receipts on hand, with the book of Record kept by the claim division, Mr. Hildreth and myself found (34) thirty four discharges missing and reported result written by Mr. Hildreth himself to Genl. Gregory, Copy of which is herewith respectfully submitted. General Gregory greatly surprised directed and verbally to try and ascertain, what had become of the discharges missing. I called on the principal Claim Agents in this city and found (9) marked in the enclosed Copy with a X in the hands of Messr. Timmons & Co. and four (4) in the hands of Mr. F.P. Stevens marked with an O. and one with Messr Colton & Co. marked with V. all stating invariably that the men brought the discharges to them for the collection of their claims. Mr. Hildreth on being relieved appeared very anxious for me to take possession of his desk, where he kept all the Over.
