for the purpose of making a critical examination of the condition of the persons known as vagrants or contrabands who are employed in this department under Department General Orders, Numbers 34, of 18612, in reference totheir pay, clothing, subsistence, medical attendeance, shelter and treatment, physicla and moral.

II. Chiefs of the several deaprtments, thei subordinates and employes will furnish to the commission such reports and information as the commission may require to enable it to perform the [duty] imposed, ahte object being to do justice to the claims of humanity in the proper discahrge of the grave reseponsibility thrust upon the military authorities of the department in consequence of numerous persons (men, women and children) already congregated and daily increasing, being abandoned by their masters or having fled to this mailitary command for protectiona and support.

III. The commission will also examine intot eh condition of such of the foregoing specified class of persons as have been or are employed under Deaprtmetn Sepcial Orders, Numbers 72, of 1861, and will further examine whether the several chiefs of deaprtments have a sufficiency or excess of employes or laborers to enable them to discharge with the proper econonmy, efficiency and dispatch their respective duties and if a greater or less number tahn are now employed can be econonmically employed for theser duties. It having been reported that the said class of persons known as vagrants or contrabands have not bee properly treated in all cases by those having them in charge the commission cannot be too rigid in its esamination in order that justirce may be done to them as well as to the public service.

IV. The result of the investigations iwll be reported by the commission to these headuqarters as early as practicable with such suggestions as the commission may deem proper for the imporovement of the treatment and management of these persons; and the commission is authorized to emply such clerical aassistance as it may need to be detailed from tis command.

By command of Major-General Wool:

WM. D. WHIPPLE,

Assistatn Adjutant-Geneal.

HEADUQARTERS DDISTRICT OF CENTRAL MISSOURI,

Otterville, January 30, 1862.

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COLONEL: The general commading directs that you investigate the cahrges contained in the inclosed paper; that youlook through all the companies of your command and if any runaway negro slave be found there that you put the commanding officer of the company having such negro in arrest and prefer cahrges against him. YOur attention is called to General Orders, Numbers 3, from department headquarters with reference to fugitive slaves.

By order of General Pope:

[C. A. MORGAN,]

Aide- de- Camp.

Not found.