knowing how sensitive they are on this subject; and I can assure you that no effort will be spared on my part to discover and redress any alleged violation of those rights.

I am, very respectfully yours,

[JOHN A. DIX,]

Major-General, Commanding.

WAR DEPARTMENT, October 14, 1861.

Brigadier General T. W. SHERMAN,

Commanding Expedition to the Southern Coast.

SIR: In conducting military operations within States declared by the proclamation of the President to be in a stat of insurredtion your will govern yourself so far as persons held to service under the laws of such States are concerned by the principles of the letters addressed by me to Major-General Butler on the 30th of May and the 8th of August,* copies of which are herewith furished to you. As special directions adapted to special circumstances cannot be given much must be referred to your own discretion as commanding general of the expedition. You will, however, in general avail yourself of the services of any persons whether fugitives from labor or not who may offer them to the National Government; you will employ such persons in such services as they may be fitted for either as ordinary employes or if special circumstances seem to require it in any other capacity with such organization in squads, companies or otherwise as you deem most beneficial to the service. This, however, not to mean a general arming of them for military service. You will assure all loyal masters that Congress will provide just compensation to them for the loss of the services of the persons so employed. It is believed that the course thus indicated will best secure the substantial rights of loyal masters and the benefits to the United States of the services of all disposed to support the Government, while it avoids all interference with the social systems or local institutions of every State beyond that which insurection makes unavoidable and which a restoration of peaceful relations to the Union under the Constitution will immediately remove.

Respectfully,

SIMON CAMERON,

Secretary of War.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF PENNSYLVANIA,
Baltimore, Md., October 14, 1861.

Colonel AUGUSTUS MORSE, Commanding at Annapolis:

COLONEL: You will please ascertain by the most searching inquiries among your officers and men whether the colored boy belonging to Mr. Richardson has been harbored within your lines since he was sent out by your order and whether he is still within them. My order was not to allow fugitive slaves to come within the encampments at all. The difficulty in this cse arises from his having been allowed to enter yours. The owner now seeks to hold you responsible for not giving hnew he was a slave. I wish the matter put on such ground as to exonerate us from all responsiblity and it is for this reason that I direct the inquiries above stated. Hereafter no fugitive slave should be allowed to come within your lines at all; but if he comes within

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*Omitted here; but for Cameron to Butler here referred to, see pp. 754 and 761, respectively.

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