Mary - Journeytohistory

Chapter 11Civil War223Slllves le:ning the pllml:Jltion. ,"hortly aher the Civil War began. ' laves realized that itmigh b.-ing them freedom, Thus, they began to leave the plantation in large number',Oue historian, Bell 1. Wiley, said dlat blael,s that remained on the plantntion were not therule, but tbe exception. (Librwy o.f Cong,.e.~s)by issuing an order for a general plan to be followed everywhere. Abandonedl~nds were to be used for the benefit of ex-slaves. Black families were allottedtwo acres for each working hand. They were to plant corn and potatoes forRufus Saxton's their own use, with tools to be furnished by the government,plan for the and the plOWing was to be done by those assigned to that task.emplo~'llIenl UJltl All blacks were required to raise a certain amount of cotton forrelief of fugitive government use. In many areas superintendents of "Negro afslu\'esfairs" were appointed, whose duties were to take a census ofthe black population, see that blacks were employed and had the necessaries oflife, take charge of land set aside by the government for their use, and protectthose who had hired themselves out to white employers. Some superintendents,like the Reverend Horace James of the North Carolina area, performedtheir duties conscientiously, but others did not show much interest in the problemsof blacks.Relief was almost always difficult because of the small amount of land availablefor the use of blacks. In his report in 1864 the Reverend Mr. James said,