Letter from George T. Swann to Mississippi Governor William L. Sharkey; June 29, 1865
Title
Letter from George T. Swann to Mississippi Governor William L. Sharkey; June 29, 1865
Subject
Johnson, Andrew, 1808-1875; Mississippi. Governor; Sharkey, William Lewis, 1798-1873; Slavery.; Slaves--Emancipation--United States.; United States. President (1865-1869 : Johnson)
Description
From the Mississippi Department of Archives and History Governor Sharkey Collection. Letter from George T. Swann to Mississippi Governor William L. Sharkey asking Sharkey to explain the president's proclamations in regard to the emancipation of enslaved people.
Creator
Swann, George T.
Publisher
Mississippi Department of Archives and History. (electronic version); Mississippi Digital Library. (electronic version)
Date
1865-06-29
Contributor
Funding for this project provided by The Dale Center for Study of War and Society-USM, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, the Mississippi Digital Library, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, the University of Southern Mississippi, and the Watson-Brown Foundation
Rights
NO COPYRIGHT - UNITED STATES; http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/
Language
English
Identifier
mdah_771-954-05-02
Coverage
1865
Text
Page 1:
Private Jackson Miss June 29th 1865
Hon. W. L. Sharkey
Governor &c.
My Dear Sir
The great purpose upon your time consequent on the anxiety of your friends to congratulate you on the highly honorable and useful position to which you have been assigned, so fortunately for our ruined and disolated state & people, prevents one from an opportunity in person of making a statement and a suggestion, which, I trust, you will excuse me for making in the shape of a note—
I speak of my own case which is doubtless that of many thousands of our citizens. Our facilities for obtaining infor-mation as to what has been done by the authorities of the Union during the late revolution have been so limited that I do not know what proclomations have been issued by the President, especially in regard to the emancipation of our slaves. These are the things which we are required by the Proclomation of President Johnson to swear that we will "support and abide by" before we are allowed to vote in the election you are delegated to order, for a Convention of the People of the state to amend or change the Constitu-tion. To swear that we will do this, intelligently and honestly, it is indispensable that we shall know them: I am anxious as a loyal citizen of the United States to do all in my power to restore civil government, and,
If Page 2:
I can, to vote in the election to be ordered—But you will at once perceive that I could not swear, as a Christian man, without information as to what I am swearing to do. It is not to be supposed for a moment that the President would re-quire the citizen to act in so momentous a matter without an opportunity for a full understanding as to what he is required to swear to, as a condition of his exercise of suffrage.
The suggestion which the necessities of my own Con-dition, as will as that of so many others thus situated, have induced me thus to intrude upon your attention now is that in your Proclamation ordering an election you would state or report to the dates or substance of the several Proclamations of the President which are embraced by the terms of the Amnesty Test Oath—The people are most painfully anxious to know what they are expected to do—& as you will desire us to act concientiously, I am sure you will so far as you can enable us to act intelligently,
By making this refernce in your Proclamation, or by furnishing to the Press such information as to the Contents, and dates of the several Proclamations as will serve to enlighten the popular mind you will releive what I know now preys most painfully upon many honest minded and loyal men—I hope, my dear sir, you will excuse this intrusion on account of my motive—
I am, most respectfully & Truly
Yr friend & obt sevt
Geo. T. Swann [strikethrough]SWAIN[strikethrough] SWANN
Geo T Swann
Answer that the Proclomation sets forth his suggestions
Private Jackson Miss June 29th 1865
Hon. W. L. Sharkey
Governor &c.
My Dear Sir
The great purpose upon your time consequent on the anxiety of your friends to congratulate you on the highly honorable and useful position to which you have been assigned, so fortunately for our ruined and disolated state & people, prevents one from an opportunity in person of making a statement and a suggestion, which, I trust, you will excuse me for making in the shape of a note—
I speak of my own case which is doubtless that of many thousands of our citizens. Our facilities for obtaining infor-mation as to what has been done by the authorities of the Union during the late revolution have been so limited that I do not know what proclomations have been issued by the President, especially in regard to the emancipation of our slaves. These are the things which we are required by the Proclomation of President Johnson to swear that we will "support and abide by" before we are allowed to vote in the election you are delegated to order, for a Convention of the People of the state to amend or change the Constitu-tion. To swear that we will do this, intelligently and honestly, it is indispensable that we shall know them: I am anxious as a loyal citizen of the United States to do all in my power to restore civil government, and,
If Page 2:
I can, to vote in the election to be ordered—But you will at once perceive that I could not swear, as a Christian man, without information as to what I am swearing to do. It is not to be supposed for a moment that the President would re-quire the citizen to act in so momentous a matter without an opportunity for a full understanding as to what he is required to swear to, as a condition of his exercise of suffrage.
The suggestion which the necessities of my own Con-dition, as will as that of so many others thus situated, have induced me thus to intrude upon your attention now is that in your Proclamation ordering an election you would state or report to the dates or substance of the several Proclamations of the President which are embraced by the terms of the Amnesty Test Oath—The people are most painfully anxious to know what they are expected to do—& as you will desire us to act concientiously, I am sure you will so far as you can enable us to act intelligently,
By making this refernce in your Proclamation, or by furnishing to the Press such information as to the Contents, and dates of the several Proclamations as will serve to enlighten the popular mind you will releive what I know now preys most painfully upon many honest minded and loyal men—I hope, my dear sir, you will excuse this intrusion on account of my motive—
I am, most respectfully & Truly
Yr friend & obt sevt
Geo. T. Swann [strikethrough]SWAIN[strikethrough] SWANN
Geo T Swann
Answer that the Proclomation sets forth his suggestions