certainly not of the volunteers. And assuredly the class of citizens who so enlisted (whether we judge them by their individual worth, or by the cause in which they periled their all, or by the services they have performed) is not a class that deserves illegal, harsh, or even doubtful estimate or treatment at the hands of the Nation they have saved.

Doubtless you have considered all these and more like matters in this connection. I know, too, the infinite embarrassments of mere detail as well as of the complicated questions of principle which beset and administration or department in the closing of a war so stupendous as this, and therefore I would neither show nor encourage in others a spirit of fault-finding and impatience. Nevertheless, whilst so frequently implored to endeavor to rescue them from what I myself do believe to be an unjust and undeserved hardship, and yet acquiescing in the propriety of your request that the State Executive should not add to your embarrassments by transmitting special complaints and applications for discharge, I have thought it to be my official duty thus to present my reasons in behalf of the right of all to their discharge at the close of hostilities. If, as is possible, these opinion as to the law and justice of the case agree with those of the Department this communication may do good by its urgency of more dispatch in the process of discharging them. If, as is probable, they may be in some essential particular in conflict with those of the national authorities, then I respectfully beg leave to ask for them such a consideration or reconsideration as the rights and merits of these volunteers and my own strength and sincerity of convictions deserve.

Very respectfully,

CHARLES ANDERSON,

Governor of Ohio.

Exhibit showing the number of colored recruits enlisted in the service of the United States, for old and new regiments, where enlisted, and where credited, from November 1, 1864, to date in 1865, when enlistments ceased.

State Ala- Arka- Con- Dela Dis- Flor Geor- Illi-

bama nsas nec- w-are trict i-da gia nois

ticut of

Colu-

mbia

Ala- 2,970 .... ... ... ... ... ... ...

bama

Arka- ..... 172 ... ... ... ... ... ...

nsas

Conn- ..... ... 77 ... ... ... ... ...

ecti-

cut

Dela- ..... ... ... 34 ... ... ... ...

ware

Dis- .... ... 1 ... 163 ... ... 1

trict

of

Colu-

mbia

Flori .... ... 7 ... ... 8 ... ....

da

Geor- ..... ... 181 ... ... ... 2,170 1

gia

Illi- ..... ... ... ... ... ... ... 530

nois

India ..... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

na

Iowa ..... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Kan- ..... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

sas

Ken- ..... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

tucky

Louis ..... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

iana

Maine ..... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Mary- ..... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

land

Massa ..... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

chuse

tts

Michi .... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

gan

Minne .... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

sota

Missi ..... ... ... ... ... ... ... 18

ssip-

pi

Miss- ..... ... ... ... ... ... ... 2

ouri

New ..... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Hamp-

shire

New .... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Jer-

sey

State In- Iowa Kan- Ken- Loui Mai- Mary Mass Mich

dia- sas tuc- sian ne land achu igan

na ky a sett

s

Ala- ... ... ... ... 1 ... ... 11 ...

bama

Arka- ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

nsas

Conn- ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

ecti-

cut

Dela- ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

ware

Dis- ... ... ... ... ... 1 ... ... 1

trict

of

Colu-

mbia

Flori ... ... ... ... 4 ... ... ... ...

da

Geor- ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 19 ...

gia

Illi- ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

nois

India 187 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

na

Iowa ... 29 ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Kan- ... ... 178 ... ... ... ... ... ...

sas

Ken- 1 ... ... 5,909 ... ... ... ... ...

tucky

Louis ... ... ... ... 828 1 ... ... ...

iana

Maine ... ... ... ... ... 36 ... ... ...

Mary- ... ... ... ... ... ... 563 ... ...

land

Massa ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 135 ...

chuse

tts

Michi ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 166

gan

Minne ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

sota

Missi ... ... ... ... 10 ... ... 754 ...

ssip-

pi

Miss- ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

ouri

New ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Hamp-

shire

New ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Jer-

sey