Regiment of Arkansas Infantry to be mounted and horse impressed for that purpose; whereupon officers and privates appearto have levied indiscriminately upon the animals of the country, leaving certificates signed by themselves, often not signed at all, but only stating it was by order of General Gardner, Colonel Logan, or Colonel Powers. The outrages even were carried so far that Colonel Powers, an officer then and now enjoying in the district a high reputation, himself impressed for his own use a stallion (itself a violation of the impressment act, for horses kept for breeding purposes are exempt) and refused any proper voucher for him, as evinced in the papers in Exhibit Numbers 10* As late as May 30 and June 10, 1864, Captains Shattuck and Terry and Lieutenant Pool are charged with having been guilty of these acts of wanton oppression, for the particulars of which I refer Your Excellency to the papers marked Exhibits 1, 0, 12, and 14,* while the communication addressed to me by John H. Kennard, indorsed by Mr. William Stamps, a gentleman of high character and the sheriff of Wilkinson County, marked Exhibit Numbers 11,* gives copies and affords an example of every kind and character of the worthless certificates afloat in this community.

At this very time a Major Paxton has issued orders to his subordinates (none of them who are actively engaged in the duty being bonded) to impress every seventh animal belonging to a planter, when General Orders, Numbers 30, of March 7, 1864, expressly directs, in paragraph Numbers VI: "No officer or agent will imprss the supplies which any person may have for the consumption of himself, his family, emloyes or slaves, or to carry on his ordinary mechanical, manufacturing, or agricultural employments." Major Paxton arrogates to himself the authority to adjudicate the question and decide it peremptorily, and, as I must think, illegally. I file as exhibit Numbers 15* a copy of his orders and the remonstrance of Messrs. Stamps, Davis, and Simrall, of Wilkinson County. A still more irremediable grievance has been widespread. There are thousands of papers in the hands of the people of this community of which this is a copy: "I certify that Henry Jones has furnished meals and one night's lodging for seven men belonging to Colonel Logan's command." Sometimes these are signed by commissioned officers, generally by non-comissioned officers, and not unfrequently by privates. These men had all doubtless had their rations issued rations issued to them, but were too idndolent to cook them, and thus preyed upon the planters. Of course they never can recover the claims, but the cavalry commanders (and all the commands have been guilty of it) should be held to strict accountability.

FRAUDULENT SETTLEMENTS OF ACCOUNTS.

No evidence of this was brought before me, nor do I think any Government official has been engaged in it. The apparent valuelessness of the certificates of indebtedness held by the citizens has induced many of them to part with their claims at greatly reduced values to speculators, and this circumstance has doubtless given rise to reports of fraudulent settlements. In some instances I learned of amounts exxeeding $100,000 being thus collected in the hands of one person. I was informed, however, by both quartermaster and commissaries that they had been ordered by the chiefs of their departments at Richmond to

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* Omitted.

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