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[[stamp]] THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF THE UNITED STATES [[/stamp]]

Newville Cumberland Co. Va.
Sept. 30, 1866

Genl O Brown A.A.G.
General,
I have the honor to report that the handful of criminal cases in which Freedmen are parties from the Bureau to the civil authorities in the counties of Surry & Sussex -- so far as I have observed its operations during the month of September has been as little disadvantageous to the interests of the Freedmen as, under the circumstances, could be expected.

I have found a reluctance on the part of some of the magistrates to take cognizance of cases in which Freedmen alone are concerned, or in which they     are the aggrieved parties, with that alacrity with which they generally act on behalf of whites. This remark applies especially to Sussex Co.

I have also found that the lawyers they employ sometimes charge them heavy fees.

If they could only acquire habits of economy, so as always to command money, I believe they would stand as good a chance of obtaining justice as their white fellow citizens.

Very Respectfully
Your Obt Servt
J. W. Sharp
Capt & Asst. Supt.
F.B. Surry & Sussex Cos. Va.

Transcription Notes:
Uncertain of the city/county at top. There is a Newville in Cumberland County Pa. but there is also a Cumberland County Va.and Surry and Sussex Counties are in Virginia. After taking into consideration both the context of the text and researching a little into the many ways cursive V's and P's can be rendered, I believe the city is Newville in Cumberland County VA. The author intended it to be a capital V but in the speed of writing rendered it in a manner to closely resemble a P ---------- Reopened for Editing 2024-04-27 13:36:38