Monday, October 23, 2017

Adjutant-General Lorenzo Thomas to Edwin M. Stanton, April 12, 1863

MILLIKEN'S BEND, April 12, 1863.
(Received 9 p.m. 16th.)
Hon. E. M. STANTON,
Secretary of War:

I arrived here, the headquarters of General Grant, yesterday, but am too weak to leave the steamer. To-morrow I hope to address the troops. The policy respecting the negroes having been adopted, commanding officers are perfectly willing and ready to afford every aid in carrying it out to a successful issue. The west bank of the Mississippi being under our control, General Grant will send forage parties to the east bank to collect the blacks, mules, &c., for military and agricultural purposes. We shall obtain all that we require. I shall find no difficulty in organizing negro troops to the extent of 20,000, if necessary. The prejudice in this army respecting arming the negroes is fast dying out. The transports are not used for quartering troops or officers. General Grant has only used a steamer, which was necessary. A quartermaster's and commissary boat loaded with supplies is with each division, and the proper staff officers are with their supplies on these boats. I am engaged in ferreting out some cotton speculations. Most of the rascalities in this respect took place early in the season and are now beyond my reach. I send by mail the plan for occupying the abandoned plantations. To have fully effected this I should have been here weeks since.

L. THOMAS,
Adjutant-General.

SOURCE: The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series III, Volume 3 (Serial No. 124), p. 121

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