The Freedmen's Bureau was a part of the War Department whose duties included "the supervision and management of all abandoned lands and the control of all subjects relating to refugees and freedmen from rebel states, or from any district or country within the territory embraced in the operations of the Army," During the first year of its existence the Bureau issued rations and clothing to destitute freedmen and refugees, operated hospitals and freedmen's camps, provided transportation to refugees and freedmen returning to their homes or relocating to other parts of the country, distributed supplies, found employment for freedmen, established schools for both children and adults, leased or supervised the cultivation of abandoned or confiscated lands, received applications and acted upon the restoration of property, helped black soldiers and sailors file and collect claims for bounties, pay arrearages, and pensions. "When the Bureau was abolished in 1872, its records and remaining functions were transferred to the Freedmen's Branch in the Office of the Adjutant General." This inventory describes the field office records of the Freedmen's Bureau, and the field office records of the Freedmen's Branch which are arranged alphabetically by State.
Elaine Everly and Willna Pacheli
(1973, 1973, 1974), 2007, CD-ROM, Graphic Images, Adobe Acrobat v6, PC or Mac, 568 pp.
ISBN: 9780788440298
101-CD4029
