Office Sub Asst Com Bu.R.F. & A.L

Tampa FLA Aug 31, 1867

Liuet Allen H. Jackson

7^th U.S. Inft A.A.A.G Bu.R.F. & A.L

Liuet

            I have the honor to make the following report upon the condition of freedmen for the month ending Aug 31^st 1867.

            The freedmen have been getting along very well this month but few complaints have come to me from them or employers.— The Crops are quite poor.  The rain has done much injury to the corn and the cotton crop this year will probably be a failure.  They are never-the-less very cheerful and look upon this as one of their bad years for making much: a great many of them think the coming year of settling upon Homesteads, and I feel very sure many wont now do so well it no that the best lands belong to the State.  The Government lands are worthless for any purposes whatever.  The most of them being barren sand hills with little or no vegitation upon them: those who have settled upon places of their own in Hernando County are doing quite well and the others who have seen them do so well wish to imitate their example and have homes of their own.  the people do not like to see them settling for the reason they fell confident they cannot obtain their employment upon their own plantation.  they therefore try to dissuade them from settling by themselves by telling them their lands will be taken from them by the United States Government just as soon as they get them nicely cleared up and many other such false stories are circulated among them which makes them fell timid about settling upon places of their own.

            The disposition of the people towards the freedmen is becoming much less bitter in some localities while in others it is on the increase but the freedmen understand pretty well their situation and knowing themselves to be freemen now act as such and when abused in one place they try another till they are treated properly but I fell confident the planters know it is for their interest to treat them kindly and the majority are doing so, these people here now are also trying to bribe the freedmen to vote for candidates they will put up at the coming election but the freedmen have been taught to vote for the proper men and there is but little doubts but what they will do is men who will give them their rights as freemen.

            The Schools have been closed for the last month but will be opened again this coming month (September). They are much interested in their Schools and seem willing to give both money and labor for the promotion of Education among them besides their schools they have a very good Sabbath School and they attend devine worship better than the white people.  they have also Temperance Societies among them and they are exerting a good influence upon those who are inclined to drink.  I have noticed but few cases of drunkenness among them of late.  they are more temperate than the whites surrounding them.  upon the whole the freedmen of this section of County can be called in a good and flourishing condition

            As the County has been flooded with water and the roads almost impassable I have been unable to travel about the Country very much this month.  consequently my report will be a short one.— No mails have been received at this place since July 3^rd with but one exception.  so we can neither send of or receive any mails till the Steamer Allison comes in or the mail route reestablished.—

I am Sir

Very Respectfully

Your Obs Servantt

Wm. G. Vance

Brt Cap’t O.R.C. Sub Assistant Com Bu.R.F. & A.L

 

** This report shows that there is still bitterness between the freedmen and the whites in some areas of Hernando County.  The report does state that the freedmen who had acquired property were doing quite well and other freedmen were using them as examples.  Also the pressure the freedmen were under during the upcoming elections as the whites tried to bribe their votes, the 1867-68 election was the first in which the African American people could take part in and the freedmen were very excited about voting.