the sequel of appomattox-第2章

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　they　had　no　right　to　touch　it　。　。　。　。　Residents　and　others　in　the　districts　where　these　peculations　were　going　on　took　advantage　of　the　unsettled　condition　of　the　country；　and　representing　themselves　as　agents　of　this　department；　went　about　robbing　under　such　pretended　authority；　and　thus　added　to　the　difficulties　of　the　situation　by　causing　unjust　opprobrium　and　suspicion　to　rest　upon　officers　engaged　in　the　faithful　discharge　of　their　duties。　Agents；　。　。　。　frequently　received　or　collected　property；　and　sent　it　forward　which　the　law　did　not　authorize　them　to　take　。　。　。　。　Lawless　men；　singly　and　in　organized　bands；　engaged　in　general　plunder；　every　species　of　intrigue　and　peculation　and　theft　were　resorted　to。〃

These　agents　turned　over　to　the　United　States　about　34；000；000。　About　40；000　claimants　were　subsequently　indemnified　on　the　ground　that　the　property　taken　from　them　did　not　belong　to　the　Confederate　Government；　but　many　thousands　of　other　claimants　have　been　unable　to　prove　that　their　property　was　seized　by　government　agents　and　hence　have　received　nothing。　It　is　probable　that　the　actual　Confederate　property　was　nearly　all　stolen　by　the　agents。　One　agent　in　Alabama　sold　an　appointment　as　assistant　for　25；000；　and　a　few　months　later　both　the　assistant　and　the　agent　were　tried　by　a　military　court　for　stealing　and　were　fined　90；000　and　250；000　respectively　in　addition　to　being　imprisoned。

Other　property；　including　horses；　mules；　wagons；　tobacco；　rice；　and　sugar　which　the　natives　claimed　as　their　own；　was　seized。　In　some　places　the　agents　even　collected　delinquent　Confederate　taxes。　Much　of　the　confiscable　property　was　not　sold　but　was　turned　over　to　the　Freedmen's　Bureau*　for　its　support。　The　total　amount　seized　cannot　be　satisfactorily　ascertained。　The　Ku　Klux　minority　report　asserted　that　3；000；000　bales　of　cotton　were　taken；　of　which　the　United　States　received　only　114；000。　It　is　certain　that；　owing　to　the　deliberate　destruction　of　cotton　by　fire　in　1864…65；　this　estimate　was　too　high；　but　all　the　testimony　points　to　the　fact　that　the　frauds　were　stupendous。　As　a　result　the　United　States　Government　did　not　succeed　in　obtaining　the　Confederate　property　to　which　it　had　a　claim；　and　the　country　itself　was　stripped　of　necessities　to　a　degree　that　left　it　not　only　destitute　but　outraged　and　embittered。　〃Such　practices；〃　said　Trowbridge；　〃had　a　pernicious　effect；　engendering　a　contempt　for　the　Government　and　a　murderous　ill　will　which　too　commonly　vented　itself　upon　soldiers　and　Negroes。〃　*　See　pp。　89　et　seq。

The　South　faced　the　work　of　reconstruction　not　only　with　a　shortage　of　material　and　greatly　hampered　in　the　employment　even　of　that　but　still　more　with　a　shortage　of　men。　The　losses　among　the　whites　are　usually　estimated　at　about　half　the　military　population；　but　since　accurate　records　are　lacking；　the　exact　numbers　cannot　be　ascertained。　The　best　of　the　civil　leaders；　as　well　as　the　prominent　military　leaders；　had　so　committed　themselves　to　the　support　of　the　Confederacy　as　to　be　excluded　from　participation　in　any　reconstruction　that　might　be　attempted。　The　business　of　reconstruction；　therefore；　fell　of　necessity　to　the　Confederate　private　soldiers；　the　lower　officers；　nonparticipants；　and　lukewarm　individuals　who　had　not　greatly　compromised　themselves。　These　politically　and　physically　uninjured　survivors　included　also　all　the　〃slackers〃　of　the　Confederacy。　But　though　there　were　such　physical　and　moral　losses　on　the　part　of　those　to　whom　fell　the　direction　of　affairs；　there　was　also　a　moral　strengthening　in　the　sound　element　of　the　people　who　had　been　tried　by　the　discipline　of　war。

The　greatest　weakness　of　both　races　was　their　extreme　poverty。　The　crops　of　1865　turned　out　badly；　for　most　of　the　soldiers　reached　home　too　late　for　successful　planting；　and　the　Negro　labor　was　not　dependable。　The　sale　of　such　cotton　and　farm　products　as　had　escaped　the　treasury　agents　was　of　some　help；　but　curiously　enough　much　of　the　good　money　thus　obtained　was　spent　extravagantly　by　a　people　used　to　Confederate　rag　money　and　for　four　years　deprived　of　the　luxuries　of　life。　The　poorer　whites　who　had　lost　all　were　close　to　starvation。　In　the　white　counties　which　had　sent　so　large　a　proportion　of　men　to　the　army；　the　destitution　was　most　acute。　In　many　families　the　breadwinner　had　been　killed　in　war。　After　1862；　relief　systems　had　been　organized　in　nearly　all　the　Confederate　States　for　the　purpose　of　aiding　the　poor　whites；　but　these　organizations　were　disbanded　in　1865。　A　Freedmen's　Bureau　official　traveling　through　the　desolate　back　country　furnishes　a　description　which　might　have　applied　to　two　hundred　counties；　a　third　of　the　South：　〃It　is　a　common；　an　every…day　sight　in　Randolph　County；　that　of　women　and　children；　most　of　whom　were　formerly　in　good　circumstances；　begging　for　bread　from　door　to　door。　Meat　of　any　kind　has　been　a　stranger　to　many　of　their　mouths　for　months。　The　drought　cut　off　what　little　crops　they　hoped　to　save；　and　they　must　have　immediate　help　or　perish。　By　far　the　greater　suffering　exists　among　the　whites。　Their　scanty　supplies　have　been　exhausted；　and　now　they　look　to　the　Government　alone　for　support。　Some　are　without　homes　of　any　description。〃

Where　the　armies　had　passed；　few　of　the　people；　white　or　black；　remained；　most　of　them　had　been　forced　as　〃refugees〃　within　the　Union　lines　or　into　the　interior　of　the　Confederacy。　Now；　along　with　the　disbanded　Confederate　soldiers；　they　came　straggling　back　to　their　war…swept　homes。　It　was　estimated；　in　December　1865；　that　in　the　states　of　Alabama；　Mississippi；　and　Georgia；　there　were　five　hundred　thousand　white　people　who　were　without　the　necessaries　of　life；　numbers　died　from　lack　of　food。　Within　a　few　months；　relief　agencies　were　at　work。　In　the　North；　especially　in　the　border　states　and　in　New　York；　charitable　organizations　collected　and　forwarded　great　quantities　of　supplies　to　the　Negroes　and　to　the　whites　in　the　hill　and　mountain　counties。　The　reorganized　state　and　local　governments　sent　food　from　the　unravaged　portions　of　the　Black　Belt　to　the　nearest　white　counties；　and　the　army　commanders　gave　some　aid。　As　soon　as　the　Freedmen's　Bureau　was　organized；　it　fed　to　the　limit　of　its　supplies　the　needy　whites　as　well　as　the　blacks。

The　extent　of　the　relief　afforded　by　the　charity　of　the　North　and　by　the　agencies　of　the　United　States　Government　is　not　now　generally　remembered；　probably　on　account　of　the　later　objectionable　activities　of　the　Freedmen's　Bureau；　but　it　was　at　the　time　properly　appreciated。　A　Southern　journalist；　writing　of　what　he　saw　in　Georgia；　remarked　that　〃it　must　be　a　matter　of　gratitude　as　well　as　surprise　for　our　people　to　see　a　Government　which　was　lately　fighting　us　with　fire　and　sword　and　shell；　now　generously　feeding　our　poor　and　distressed。　In　the　immense　crowds　which　throng　the　distributing　house；　I　notice　the　mothers　and　fathers；　widows　and　orphans　of　our　soldiers　。　。　。　。　Again；　the　Confederate　soldier；　with　one　leg　or　one　arm；　the　crippled；　maimed；　and　broken；　and　the　worn　and　destitute　men；　who　fought　bravely　their　enemies　then；　their　benefactors　now；　have　their　sacks　filled　and　are　fed。〃

Acute　distress　continued　until　1867；　after　that　year　there　was　no　further　danger　of　starvation。　Some　of　the　poor　whites；　especially　in　the　remote　districts；　never　again　reached　a　comfortable　standard　of　living；　some　were　demoralized　by　too　much　assistance；　others　were　discouraged　and　left　the　South　for　the　West　or　the　North。　But　the　mass　of　the　people　accepted　the　discipline　of　poverty　and　made　the　best　of　their　situation。

The　difficulties；　however；　that　beset　even　the　courageous　and　the　competent　were　enormous。　The　general　paralysis　of　industry；　the　breaking　up　of　society；　and　poverty　on　all　sides　bore　especially　hard　on　those　who　had　not　previously　been　manual　laborers。　Physicians　could　get　practice　enough　but　no　fees；　lawyers　who　had　supported　the　Confederacy　found　it　difficult　to　get　back　into　the　reorganized　courts　because　of　the　test　oaths　and　the　competition　of　〃loyal〃　attorneys；　and　for　the　teachers　there　were　few　schools。　We　read　of　officers　high　in　the　Confederate　service　selling　to　Federal　soldiers　the　pies　and　cakes　cooked　by　their　wives；　of　others　selling　fish　and　oysters　which　they　themselves　had　caught；　and　of　men　and　women　hitching　themselves　to　plows　when　they　had　no　horse　or　mule。

Such　incidents　must；　from　their　nature；　have　been　infrequent；　but　they　show　to　what　straits　some　at　least　were　reduced。　Six　years　after　the　war；　James　S。　Pike；　then　in　South　Carolina；　mentions　cases　which　might　be　duplicated　in　nearly　every　old　Southern　community：　〃In　the　vicinity；〃　he　says；　〃lived　a　gentleman　whose　income　when　the　war　broke　out　was　rated　at　150；000　a　year。　Not　a　vestige　of　his　whole　vast　estate　remains　today。　Not　far　distant　were　the　estates　of　a　large　proprietor　and　a　well…known　family；　rich　and　distinguished　for　generations。　The　slaves　were　gone。　The　family　is　gone。　A　single　scion　of　the　house　remains；　and　he　peddles　tea　by　the　pound　and　molasses　by　the　quart；　on　a　corner　of　the　old　homestead；　to　the　former　slaves　of　the　family　and　thereby　earns　his　livelihood。〃

General　Lee's　good　example　influenced　many。　Commercial　enterprises　were　willing　to　pay　for　the　use　of　his　name　and　reputation；　but　he　wished　to　farm　and　could　get　no　opportunity。　〃They　are　offering　my　father　everything；〃　his　daughter　said；　〃except　the　only　thing　he　will　accept；　a　place　to　earn　honest　bread　while　engaged　in　some　useful　work。〃　This　remark　led　to　an　offer　of　the　presidency　of　Washington　College；　now　Washington　and　Lee　University；　which　he　accepted。　〃I　have　a　self…imposed　task　which　I　must　accomplish；〃　he　said；　〃I　have　led　the　young　men　of　the　South　in　battle；　I　have　seen　many　of　them　fall　under　my　standard。　I　shall　devote　my　life　now　to　training　young　men　to　do　their　duty　in　life。〃

The　condition　of　honest　folk　was　still　further　troubled　by　a　general　spirit　of　lawlessness　in　many　regions。　Virginia；　Tennessee；　Arkansas；　and　Louisiana　recognized　the　〃Union〃　state　government；　but　the　coming　of　peace　brought　legal　anarchy　to　the　other　states　of　the　Confederacy。　The　Confederate　state　and　local　governments　were　abolished　as　the　armies　of　occupation　spread　over　the　South；　and　for　a　period　of　four　or　six　months　there　was　no　government　except　that　exercised　by　the　commanders　of　the　military　garrisons　left　behind　when　the　armies　marched　away。　Even　before　the　surrender；　the　local　governments　were　unable　to　make　their　authority　respected；　and　soon　after　the　war　ended；　parts　of　the　country　became　infested　with　outlaws；　pretend　treasury　agents；　horse　thieves；　cattle　thieves；　and　deserters。　Away　from　the　military　posts　only　lynch　law　could　cope　with　these　elements　of　disorder。

With　the　aid　of　the　army　in　the　more　settled　regions；　and　by　extra…legal　means　elsewhere；　the　outlaws；　thieves；　cotton　burners；　and　house　burners　were　brought　somewhat　under　control　even　before　the　state　governments　were　reorganized；　though　the　embers　of　lawlessness　continued　to　smolder。

The　relations　between　the　Federal　soldiers　stationed　in　the　principal　towns　and　the　native　white　population　were　not；　on　the　whole；　so　bad　as　might　have　been　expected。　If　the　commanding　officer　were　well　di