Grant Orders Protection For Freed Slaves Living at the Arlington Estate of Robert E. Lee

At any given time, Grant’s staff while he was supreme commander of the armies consisted of thirteen officers only, and was not larger than that of some division commanders. The chief of staff was Brigadier-general John A. Rawlins. There were four senior aides-de-camp, one of whom was Brigadier-general Horace Porter. Grant had two military secretaries, Adam Badeau being the most noteworthy. There were four assistant adjutant-generals, the most famous being Ely Parker, a full-blooded Indian and grand nephew of the great Chief Red Jacket. Another was George K. Leet. The 1866 book “Grant and His Campaigns” says this about Leet: “Major George K. Leet, assistant adjutant-general of volunteers…entered the service as a private in the Chicago Mercantile Battery, and served with it in General Sherman’s expedition against Vicksburg, in the battle of Arkansas Post, and the battles and siege of Vicksburg. In August following the fall of Vicksburg, he was detached from his company as clerk at General Grant’s headquarters; and in October next thereafter, on General Grant’s recommendation, was appointed captain and assistant adjutant-general, and was with him in the campaign and battles of Chattanooga. On General Grant’s appointment to the command of all the armies, Leet was assigned to duty in Washington, in charge of office headquarters there. He was promoted to a majority in the adjutant-general’s department. As a private, he was a splendid soldier; as an officer, prompt and efficient in the performance of his duty — a courteous gentleman and man of sense. He possesses the respect and confidence of all who know him.”  So Leet was Grant’s man at the War Department in the final year of the war, and he was eventually promoted to Lt. Colonel. Leet remained in service to Grant after war’s end, and when Grant became President, Leet secured a position at the Customs House in New York, where for a time his superior was Chester A. Arthur.

Direct Department Commander to send a commanding officer & 20 men to Freedman’s Village

Freedman’s Village was established on the Arlington estate of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in June 1863, to serve as a camp for Civil War contrabands. The name “contrabands” was the linguistic solution of Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler to a real problem. Many slaves from Virginia and Maryland escaped to Washington, D.C., seeking freedom after President Lincoln emancipated the district’s slaves in 1862. Butler, who did not want runaway slaves turned away, rationalized that because slaves were considered property in the South, they could be used to help the Confederate war effort. Therefore, these people were deemed “contrabands”, who would not be returned to their masters for their use but would be set free instead. A camp, called Freedman’s Village, was established for them, the exact location of which is believed to have been in what is now the southern section of Arlington National Cemetery. The village was dedicated December 4, 1863.

The village was run by the Freedman’s Bureau during most of its existence. It began as little more than a tent camp and grew into a community not only for refugees, but also for many of the former Arlington slaves. As the community grew, the village was able to provide housing, education, training for employment skills, church services, medical care and food for the former slaves. Homes in the village were wooden and housed two to four families each. The first school, which opened shortly after the camp dedication, began with 150 students and peaked with 900 students. In addition to children, adults could be counted among the student population.

During the Civil War, with Southerners still maintaining the freedmen were slaves, and with so many defenseless women and children living there, there was concern about their security. According to the Arlington Cemetery website, U.S. Colored Troops were used “to protect fugitive slaves from their former slave owners.” They also aided in policing the community.

Autograph Note Signed “U.S.G.”, Washington, circa 1864-5, to George K. Leet, showing this very policy in action. “Direct Department Commander to send a commanding officer & 20 men to Freedman’s Village, Va. to be stationed until further orders.”

The village received less support after the war and even less after Reconstruction. It remained open until December 7, 1887, when the people there were given 90 days to leave.