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114                         

(197) 10th November 1865

Howard Maj Gen O.O.
Commissioner & c

General
I have the honor to inform you that the following order for transportation approved by you has been signed dated 9th Nov 1865 - viz - 
No 26 for Revd James N. Gloucester in charge and forty three adults and sixty two children (colored) (106 in all) from Richmond VA to New York City (via Baltimore) Dependent Freedmen) to relieve the Govt of their support -
Respty Yours  
(Sgd) O. Brown  
Col. and Asst. Comr
Official 
J.A. Bates
A.A.A.G.

(198)   November 10th 1865

Howard Maj Gen. O.O. 
Commissioner &c

General
I beg to submit for your instructions the following case 
About two years ago the farm of Wm E. Taylor of Norfolk was taken possession of by the Military Authorities and turned over to the Department of Negro Affairs." A saw mill was set up on it.  logs were cut down and sawed up - About the last of September- Mr Taylor received a pardon and on Oct 1st as soon as I heard of it I issued an order to stop the Mill as soon as some coffin lumber which was required for the freedmen of the Dist could be sawed [[strikethrough]] up [[/strikethrough]] out.  This order was not received until the 11th inst when the cutting down of logs was at once suspended and the Mill set at work cutting up coffin lumber

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An order which I issued on the 15th directing the Mill to be stopped entirely was not received at all and it was therefore run until the 27th inst when I ascertained the facts, issued another order and the Mill was stopped.
Mr Taylor claims that all the logs and lumber whether cut before or since the date of his pardon belong to him.  The Supt of the District claims that the logs and lumber cut before notification of the pardon at the expense of the Bureau belong to it; and that as the logs belong to the Bureau it has the right to cut them up in a mill not belonging to Mr. Taylor after the pardon.  I have given orders that no logs or lumber whenever cut, shall be removed until instructions are received from you.
I also request instructions in regard to the Taylor farm -  This farm has been made a sort of Freedmens home - A church and school house have been built on it and more than 100 houses each with a garden of three acres.
There are now nearly one thousand (1000) freedmen on it of whom 400 are the families of colored soldiers - Appreciating the great suffering which they must experience if turned out of there homes in mid-winter knowing the unwillingness and want of ability of the Counties to which they belong to provide for them, and fearing the danger from pestilence which would arise from removing them to localities already crowded, I sent for Mr Taylor and endeavored to make some arrangement with him by which the Freedmen might remain in their present homes.
I explained  to him difficulties under which the Bureau and the State was laboring and urged that he rent these lots to the Freedmen - 
Mr Taylor replied that he could not give his assent to such an arrangement - that the injury to his estate from one years

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