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Claim Division
6th. The Claim Division, as at present organized, is composed of two distinct branches: the "Prosecution" and "Certificate" branches.

Prosecution Branch
The "Prosecution Branch" was organized March 17th. 1866; the necessity for which is briefly stated in your annual report for that year, as follows:
"Prior to the organization of this division, constant complaints were received by the different Agents and Offices of the Bureau from discharged colored soldiers, who had been defrauded of the amounts due them from the United States, by unprincipled men. Many had been induced to believe that bounties and arrears of pay were owing to them, when such was not the case. Acting upon the representations made, they placed their discharges in the hands of parties, who generally exacted an advance fee, retained the discharges until the claimant became satisfied that nothing would be obtained for him, and then refused to give up the papers for their owners until still another fee was paid. Large numbers of soldiers were idly waiting in Cities for action upon such claims, and the expense of rationing and lodging then fell upon the government. [[stamp]]THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF THE UNITED STATES[[/stamp]]
"When collections were actually made, exorbitant fees were often charged, and sometimes,"