Head Quarters Department of the Gulf

New Orleans Oct 27, 1863

Capt of Sailing Ship "Union"

 

                        Captain

                                    You will proceed at once to the South west Pass /

 

The first order of Major General Banks turning over the houses or property to the QuarterMasters Department was "Genl order Nr 110. Dec 17, 1862 Paragraph 2."

 

"All Houses in New Orleans which have been taken possession of for the Government will be immediately turned over to such office of the QuarterMasters Department as Col S. B. Holabird Chief Quarter Master, may designate, and such houses will not be occupied hereafter except by his assignment, in no case to exceed regulation allowance of quarters." The next General order Nr. 117 Dec 24, 1862 decides that append return to commutation of quarters in full will be paid upon which order commutation was or has been paid or the houses occupied by officers have been rented to them which will account for the item of rents "from occupied or seized property" or houses in my reports and accounts current—(append Paragraph 10 or 11 July 9/63 of Col H) immediately on arrival Genl Banks appointed the financial clerk of the / Dept to succeed (D.A.G. Field a civilian appointed without Bond) to take charge of the collection of fines under the order of Genl Butler Nr 55 and 105 confimed by Gen Butler order nr 12 12 to collect fines from those who subscribed to the Bonds of Defence enacted to keep the United States troops from re establishing the lawful government here the amount I collected was $46,544 the amt of disbursement will appear by my Abstracts enclosed herewith to be 38 723.25 embracing expenditures to the poor of New Orleans $24 500 fed by and aided by the relief commission composed of soldiers wives Federal or Confederate 9000 persons said to be wives, widows or orphans of Confed soldiers all the convents or charitable institutions here, and one in Natchez Mississippi and other various and deserving charities besides thousands where such deserving claims could not be entertained for want of means to aid them. the most I could do aside from / the aid furnished by the relief Commission USA to find homes houses or shelter for over three thousand of these poor creatures in the abandoned tenement houses owned by rebels or enemies of our Govt. I have kept a copy of every order of asignment whether in charity or rented since I came to this Dept which can be obtained by the Q.M.Dept if desirable these poor people would throng our office from morning until night thousands of them having no recourse but to the govt for food or shelter. this aside from the multifareous & infinite variety of claims and fancied [?] took all the time of myself and a dozen other [?] clerks to manage and attend to. had any attempt at organization been made under the previous administration much of this labor might have been saved but instead of aiding us this Mr Field / took with him all papers [?] and orders verbal or written which he recd from Genl Butler particularly is this the case in all matters relating to the seizure of the property of foreigners I can find nothing to aid me but must needs conjecture and stumble at conclusions unless much time is consumed in ferreting out these things which really need the most concise explanations from those who have had charge before we came. In the property Dept I found a dozen slips of paper were to be my only guide as to what houses were seized or occupied. the most splendid houses in New Orleans had been occupied abused or injured to a degree that never can be estimated by persons who had no shadow of a claim upon the govt / civil or judicial action being virtually suspended by this state of unwarrantable rebellion and all property having bee turned over by order of Gen Banks to the Col Holabird Chief Q Master & I having been assigned to the charge of it I have in every instance been governed by the act of largess in the proclamation of the President (which are identical in purpose) that those in enmity or hostility to the Govt must renew their allegiance within the time specified or their property is liable to confiscation. I have taken possession of the houses prepared inventories of their contents and guarded them until they were rented to officers who were responsible. these receipts from renters have gently exceeded the amount of commutations paid. the submission of property to the courts was made after the lists had been carefully prepared from the official records of Boundaries & titles and the owners known rebels or absentees having aided & abetted the Confederates. but alas! one Provisional Judge / did not seem to think he had the power to confiscate the property of rebels to our Department is minus a large amount of money he should otherwise have obtained from this means. The sales of property of Registered enemies was warranted by Gen Order Nr 25 with Col Holabirds order placing me in charge of it with appended inventories here made in every instance, the sales advertised for a certain day and duplicate copies of the Bills of sale taken which compare with the inventories. these poor deluded people were kindly treated by the General he allowed ten days rations for every member of the family, clothing & what money they possessed at the time; the property would have been lost to the Govt but that such precautions had been taken. The Banks here having sent their coin & valuable securities into the Confederacy the General finding they were doing business on a false basis appointed a Board of Commisioners for / the Bank of Louisiana of which Board I was President we found nothing but mortgages and Confederate Bonds left, the protected paper exceeding the whole profit of the Bank nearly $800,000 they are not permitted to do any business it is hoped however that the mortgages may become good and that the coin in the Confederacy will be sound people in the North are large stockholders in this Bank and for that reason if no other they should perhaps have more chance to retrieve their bad management & misfortunes. / it would be unjust to close my brief and imperfect report without referring to the distinguished abilities of the gentleman & soldier at the head of this Dept surrounded by officers unfamiliar with their duties & to whom the Army Regulations were an enigma, and having to organize anew, & control, an immense Department. his labors were unceasing and seemingly at times overwhelming. he has exercised a rare patience and I think the future must show that his efforts will be thoroughly appreciated by this Government—

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