UPA
Library Research
American Studies
Reconstruction and Military Government in the South, 1867–1870
Office of Civil Affairs
Part 1: First and Second Military Districts
(Virginia and North Carolina/South Carolina)
Following the Civil War, Congress instituted,
over President Andrew Johnson’s veto, several
Reconstruction Acts. The first of these, passed
originally on March 2, 1867, established five
military districts. Virginia comprised the first military district; North Carolina and South Carolina,
the second; Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, the
third; Mississippi and Arkansas, the fourth; and
Louisiana and Texas, the fifth.
The first Reconstruction Act required states to hold constitutional
conventions open to all and to draft new state constitutions that
gave voting and citizenship rights to former slaves. Subsequent
Reconstruction Acts instructed the military district commanders to oversee elections, register voters, and convene additional
constitutional conventions.
This microfilm publication reproduces the records of the U.S.
Army Continental Command’s Office of Civil Affairs from 1867
to 1870.
The Office of Civil Affairs dealt with all aspects of voter registration, nomination of convention delegates, appointments of
civil officers, and election returns. It also dealt with other civil
administration tasks including law enforcement and suppression
of civil disturbances.
Excerpt from testimony in a criminal case in which the defendant, a
white man, was accused of “aiding and abetting larceny.” One of the
persons testifying against him was Sharper Lucas, a freedman. Files
from both the first and second military districts include correspondence on crime and law enforcement.
Library Research
The files for the First Military District cover Virginia. Documents
consist of correspondence from military commissioners, civil
officers, applicants for government positions, and individual
citizens; lists of voters in Frederick County, Virginia, listed by skin
color; lists of persons recommended for civil service positions;
loyalty oaths; and items relating to law enforcement.
The files for the Second Military district are from North Carolina
and South Carolina and contain recommendations of people to
serve as voting registrars, military orders for voter registration,
oaths of office, and applications for civil office.
Overall, this collection offers researchers an opportunity to study
the day-to-day details of U.S. military government in the South,
genealogical materials, and information on race relations and the
status of African Americans.
Reconstruction and Military Government in the South,
1867–1870
Office of Civil Affairs,
Part 1: First and Second Military Districts (Virginia and
North Carolina/South Carolina)
Approximately 12 reels. PIN 0000102658
Source Note: Record Group 393: Records of U.S. Army
Continental Commands, Records of Military Districts,
1867-1871, Office of Civil Affairs, First Military District,
Entries 5242, 5248, 5251, and 5255, and Second Military
District, Entries 4363, 4364, 4365, 4366, 4367, and 4380,
National Archives, Washington, D.C. Images courtesy of
the National Archives, Washington, D.C.
List of persons recommended for appointment to civil service positions in Virginia, one of many similar lists in this collection. The list
includes the full name of the person, the county where they reside
and the name of the incumbent. These lists, as well as other document types like loyalty oaths, are an excellent source for genealogical
research.
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license. © 2006 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. PIN 102658