letters

Administration of W. Storer How (September 1865-November 1865)

How makes requests for teachers, protection from Union troops, medical services, the use of the courthouse as a school, and other supplies. Of particular note, How asks for transportation for two ex-slaves from Winchester, Virginia, to Greencastle in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. He also reports on two free blacks who were kidnapped in Franklin County in 1864. For the first time, How discusses the trial of a free black in his district and the role of the Bureau in the proceedings. On the administrative side, How moves the Bureau office from Staunton to Winchester and inquires as to the relationship between the Bureau and free-born and previously manumitted blacks.