Halleck, H. W. (Henry Wager) (1815-1872) [Official copy of Henry W. Halleck's General Order No. 6]
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00898.01 Author/Creator: Halleck, H. W. (Henry Wager) (1815-1872) Place Written: Richmond, Virginia Type: Manuscript document Date: 5 May 1865 Pagination: 1 p. : 43.3 x 24 cm. Order a Copy
Halleck lays down the law for "all persons found in arms against the authority of the United States" in Virginia and North Carolina less than one month after the surrender at Appomattox. Headed: "Head Quarters, Military Division of the James, Richmond, Va."; marked at bottom left as an "Official copy." Manuscript on blue paper, signed by, and possibly in the hand of, Assistant Adjutant General J. C. Kelton.
Entered the Civil War as a major general, where he commanded the departments of the Mississippi and the Missouri. After McClellan's failures, Lincoln appointed him as general in chief, but was then relegated to chief of staff under Grant, 12 March 1864. He was known for effectively carrying out Lincoln's orders but had no aptitude for directing subordinate generals, such as McClellan and Hooker, to follow his strategic orders.
"…From and after the 20th inst., all persons found in arms against the authority of the United States, in the States of Virginia and North Carolina, will be treated as robbers and outlaws…Any person in these States who shall assist or advise the organization of guerilla bands or the continuation of hostilities against the authority of the United States, will be arrested, & tried by a military commission and punished with death or otherwise less severely according to the circumstances of the case…All Military officers of this Division…will use their influence to reconcile all differences between freedmen and their former masters, and will assure the freedmen that they will be required to labor for the support of themselves and families, but that they are free to select their own employers…they must be made to understand that the government will protect, but cannot support them. All classes must be shown the absolute necessity of planting and cultivating crops this Spring in order to avoid want and starvation…For minors not cared for by their parents, the apprentice system will be introduced… Interest as well as humanity requires that the former masters of the colored race should unite in devising the best measures for ameliorating their condition and introducing some practical system of hired labor…."
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