General Orders No. 62 - American History 1493-1945 - Adam Matthew Digital

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Field name	Value
Collection Reference Number	GLC05037
From Archive Folder	Unassociated Civil War Documents 1865
Title	General Orders No. 62
Date	24 June 1865
Author	Hatch, John Porter (1822-1901)
Document Type	Military document
Content Description	Marked as a "True Copy." Contracts between planters and freedmen: "any contact... which contains provisions tending to peonage, will be considered null."
Subjects	Civil War Reconstruction Military History Union General Union Forces African American History Slavery Freemen Labor Contract
People	Hatch, John Porter (1822-1901)
Place written	Charleston, South Carolina
Theme	The American Civil War; Slavery & Abolition; African Americans; Reconstruction
Sub-collection	Papers and Images of the American Civil War
Additional Information	A native New Yorker, Hatch graduated from West Point in 1845 and was commissioned in the Infantry, serving in the Mexican War. He served in the Antietam Campaign where he was wounded. By the end of the war he was breveted Colonel and Brigadier General of regulars, but he reverted to Major on being mustered out of volunteer service. He then returned to the frontier. He retired from the Army in 1886.
Copyright	The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Module	Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945
Transcript	Show/hide [draft] Head Quarters, Northern District, D.S. Charleston S.C. June 24. 1865. General orders No. 62. It has come to the knowledge of the District Commander, that, in some of the Contracts made between Planters and Freemen, a clause has been introduced establishing a system of peonage the Freeman binding himself to work out any debt he may hereafter incur to his employer. All contracts made under authority from these Head Quarters, will be understood as merely temporary arrangements to induce the cultivation of the ground for the present season. Any contract made under the above authority, which contains provisions binding to peonage, will be considered null. The Officers having charge of contracts will examine them carefully, and when they are found to contain such clause, will notify the Planters that new contracts must be made in which the objectionable feature will be omitted. Contracts will [2] be simply worded; whilst acknowledging the freedom of the Colored man, such exparssion [sic] as, "freed by the acts of the Military Forces of the United States" will not be permitted. The attempt to introduce anything into the contract which may have an appearance of our intention at some future [inserted: day] to contest the question of the emancipation of the Negroes will be reported to the Commander of the Sut District, who will examine into the antecedents of the person making the attempt, and report upon the case to District Head Quarters. By Command of Bvt: Maj. Genl. Jno. P. Hatch (signed) Leonard B. Perry Asst. Adjt. Genl. True copy Jno. P. Hatch Lt. Col. & Bvt Maj. Genl.

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