I’ve spoken in the past about the U.S. Southern Claims Commission, set up by Congress after the Civil War to pay for property taken by U.S. soldiers in the South, and how African American claimants had trouble getting their claims approved if they had only Black witnesses.
This week I ran across a letter in one of the claim files that says this so much better than I can. John Lambert, a freedman farmer, had put in a claim for the horse, cattle, hogs, poultry, rice, corn and cooking utensils that Sherman’s Army took in December 1864. He was 24 and putting the claim in for his mother, Phillis Lambert. He had witnesses — James Stacy, Joseph Bacon, and Scipio King — but they were also freedmen. He had no White witnesses.
John Lambert’s claim was approved, but there was another John Lambert. He lived near Milledgeville, also in the path of Sherman’s Army, and had property taken. The Commission was uneven in its application of the rules, and this John Lambert’s case — at the same time as the Liberty County John Lambert’s case — was in danger of being denied because he had only Black witnesses, just like the Liberty County John Lambert.
The Milledgeville John Lambert, along with others, got a lawyer — just 11 years after Emancipation — and the lawyer wrote to their U.S. Senator for them. This letter was accidentally filed in the Liberty County John Lambert’s folder, which is how I know about it. Here’s what the lawyer said.
Atlanta Ga April 6th 1876
US Senator Bruce Stevens
Sir
On behalf of certain claimants before the U S Court of Claims I respectfully but earnestly ask your imposition, aid and influence upon the following statement of facts. Sherman in his famous “March to the Sea” passed through Milledgeville Ga.
At that time there was there a very thrifty and honest man of color by the name of John Lambert. He had by industry and frugality accumulated a nice little snug fortune – Sherman’s army took all his fodder, hay, corn, horses, wagons etc for army uses and supplies. John Lambert then filed his claim for damages before the U S Court of Claims.
A few days ago the Clerk of the Commissioners on Claims wrote John Lambert a letter to the following effect, which you can get either from B D Hyam [?] Lock Box Lockett E Street near Seventh to the gentlemen residing in Washington City the letter was to this effect – that John Lambert was a person of color and his witnesses were of the same race and the Commissioners wanted the evidence of his former master that claimant had the property charged in his account that they doubted the affidavit of John Lambert’s witnesses because they were of the same race and color as the Claimant and that the claim had been suspended [looks like “several”] on this account.
Well, things have come to a pretty pass when the Commissioners of the Court of Claims doubt and will disallow a claim because the claimant and his witness are persons of color. This letter was written under the hand and Seal of the Court of Claims sitting in Washington City.
Why, even in Rebel Georgia, as they call it, Courts and Juries are bound to believe witness unless their testimony is invalidated in one of these ways – 1st By Contradictory Statements, 2nd By disproving the facts by other reliable testimony, 3rd By impeachment of the witness of those who will swear that his character is bad and they would not believe him on oath.
Such is the law of Georgia, and yet we find the Court of Claims about to reject John Lambert’s claim because he is a man of color and his witnesses are of the same race. If this had been done in Georgia a “hue and cry” would have been raised. John Lambert stands unimpeached and so do his witnesses, but the Court of Claims won’t allow the claim because John Lambert and his witnesses are persons of color!
You have full authority from the Claimant to appear before the Court of Claims in session in Washington City and see that their claim is not rejected on the ground that the claimant and his witnesses are persons of color, and therefore not to be believed. [Word faded] to succor one of your own race, who by economy and thrift made a little fortune for himself and which was taken from him by the Union Army and the Claimant asks now to be reimbursed, please appear before the Commissioners of Claims and have the case of John Lambert versus the United States sounded and disposed of.
You are fully empowered to represent John Lambert Esq before said Courts.
Respectfully
E. A. Unger [?]
Isn’t that beautiful?
The U.S. Southern Claims Commission files are such a rich resource for Liberty County genealogy and history. I have a presentation on it on the They Had Names website media page, and you can read through transcribed claims here.
In other news from the website, I finally finished transcribing the 1830 census and adding the slaveowners from it to my overall list of Liberty County slaveowners, which now totals 583 people. Next is the 1820 census, which is the last census for this list, as the 1790, 1800, and 1810 census records no longer exist. First, though, I’m going back to working on the land sale deed records from after the Civil War, tracing how formerly enslaved people acquired land.