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Statement of W. F. Wickham of Hanover Co. Va. concerning emancipated slaves.
December 1865.

I must again call the attention of the Freedman's Bureau to the condition of the emancipated slaves on my plantation and on the North Wales & Broad Neck estates, belonging to Wm. Carter and Charles Carter of Philadelphia, the sons of the late Wm. Carter of Caroline County, Virginia. On the 9th of last September, I addressed a communication on the subject to the Bureau thro' Col. Brown and early in November, I left a copy of the paper with Col. Woodhull in Washington in the absence of Genl. Howard. I have repeatedly urged that the Bureau should take some action in the case, & that it should come to a decision as to what was to be done for the support of the Freedmen. I was told the Bureau had no funds, & that nothing could be done before the meeting of Congress. The proprietors of North Wales and Broad Neck have rented out these estates for the next year. There are now on the two near 300 negros. What is to be done with them & how are they to be supported? A large proportion of them are women & children, unable to provide for themselves. Very few of the men will work, or are ready to make engagements for the next year. The scanty crops made on the plantations were totally inadequate for the supply of the people, A heavy debt has already been incurred by the owners of the land, as is set forth in my statement of the 9th September, which debt has been largely increased since that date. The proprietors can not be expected to continue to support so large a number of negros, even if they had the means. The counties of Caroline & Hanover have been desolated by both armies during the war, the people are without money & have but a small stock of provisions. Under these circumstances the counties can hardly impose a levy & collect it for the support of so many paupers. How far the State will provide for them cannot probably be known before the whole subject of the freedmen shall be turned over to the State authorities, but a tax for their benefit in the present exhausted condition of the country would be most offensive, & it would be difficult for the people to pay it in addition to the unusual burdens that are now placed on them. It seems to me that the United States government, by which the slaves were emancipated should make some provision for their immediate support, at least until the

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