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Head Quarters Post of Brenham 
Brenham Texas Oct 20th 65

Gen. E M Gregory
Asst Com R.F. and A.L.
Dept Texas

General

I have the honor to inform you that I arrived at this place (Brenham) on the night of the 18. inst and have entered upon my duties but find that I require some definite instructions in regard to certain maters which I will here mention.

1st Have the civil authorities a right to arrest and try [[strikethrough]] before [[/strikethrough]] Freedmen before Civil Courts. Lt Col De [[Arces?]] has informed the Prv. Mar. at this Post that "US Soldiers and Freedmen shall not be arraigned for trial before civil courts but shall be tried by Millitary Commission or Court Martial." A case came up this morning in which the civil authorities have arrested and lodged in jail a Colored man charged with the crime of addultery -- a crime that ninety-nine of the Negroes [[strikethrough]] out [[/strikethrough]] in one hundred might be found guilty of as they do not realize that is a crime since they have never been taught the contrary. It occurs
 
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---------- Reopened for Editing 2023-04-03 16:07:25