Montgomery v. United States

5 Ct. Cl. 648
United States Court of Claims·Decided December 15, 1869·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinions

Casey, Oh. J.,

delivered the opinion of the court:

Leo L. Johnson, in 'the year 1862, was a cotton planter, residing in the State of Arkansas, within the insurrectionary lines. He owned a sugar plantation in the parish of Lafourche, in the State of Louisiana, called the “Webster place.” J. W. Burbridge & Co., merchants of New Orleans, had been his factors. He was indebted to them for money and supplies to the amount of $130,000. New Orleans was captured by the combined land and naval forces, under General Butler and Admiral Farragut, respectively, in the latter end of April, 1862. That city was thenceforth during the war occupied by the Union forces, as well as portions of the State of Louisiana.

A few days after the occupation of the city, General Butler issued a proclamation dated May 1,1862, from which the following extracts are made, having relation to some of the matters discussed in this case:

“All persons well disposed toward the Goverment of the United States, who shall renew their oath of allegiance, -will receive the safeguard and protection in their persons.and property of the United States, the violation of which by any person is punishable with death.

“All persons still holding allegiance to the Confederate States will be deemed rebels against the government of the United States, and regarded and treated as enemies thereof.

“All foreigners not naturalized, and claiming allegiance to their respective governments,, and not having- made oath of allegiance to the supposed government of the Confederate States, will be protected in their persons and property as heretofore under the laws of the United States.

“All persons who may heretofore have given their adherence to the supposed government of the Confederate States, or have been in their service, who shall lay down and deliver up their arms, and return to peaceful occupations, and preserve quiet and order, holding no further correspondence nor giving aid and comfort to the enemies of the United States, willnotbe disturbed, either in person or property, pxcept so far, under the orders of the commanding general, as the exigencies of the public service may render necessary.

“The keepers of all public property, whether State, national, or confederate, such as collections of art, libraries, museums, as [653]*653well as all public buildings, all munitions of war and armed vessels, will at once make full return thereof to these headquarters; all manufacturers of arms and munitions of war will report to these headquarters their kind and places of business.

“All right of property, of whatever kind, will be held inviolate, subject only to the laws of the United States.

“All inhabitants are enjoined to pursue their usual avocations; all shops and places of business and amusement are to be kept open in the accustomed manner, and services to be had in churches and religious houses, as in times of profound peace.”

' On the 9th November, 1862, General Butler caused a general military order, called “ Order 91,” to be issued. In this order, after reciting among other things that the territory west of the Mississippi Biver, lately taken possession of by the United States troops, was mostly occupied by persons disloyal to the United States, and that sales are being made for the purpose of depriving of their right to the confiscation of certain property, &c., he makes the following among other orders:

“ I. That all the property within the district to be known as the ‘District of Lafourche,’ be and are hereby sequestered, and all sales or transfers thereof are forbidden, and will be held invalid.

“ II. The district of Lafourche will comprise all the territory in the State of Louisiana lying west of the Mississippi Biver, except the parishes of Plaquemines and Jefferson.

“III. That Major Joseph M. Bell, provost judge, president; Lieutenant Colonel J. B. Kinsman, aide-de-camp; Captain Fuller, (Seventy-fifth New York Volunteers,) provost marshal of the district, be appointed a commission to take possession of the property in said district, to make an accurate inventory of the same, and gather up and collect all such personal property, and turn over to the proper officers, upon their receipts, such of said property as may be required for the use of the United States Army; to collect together all the other personal property, and bring the same to New Orleans, and cause it to be sold at public auction, to the highest bidders; and, after deducting the necessary expenses of care, collection, and transportation, to hold the proceeds thereof subject to the just claims of loyal citizens and those neutral foreigners who, in good faith, shall appear to be the owners of the same.

“IV. Every loyal citizen or neutral foreigner who shall be found [654]*654in actual possession and ownership of any property of said district, not having acquired the same by title since the 18th day of September last, may have his property returned or delivered to him without sale, upon establishing his condition to the judgment of the commission.

“ V. All sales made by any person not a loyal citizen or foreign neutral, since the 18th day of September, shall be. held void; and all sales whatever, made with the" intent to deprive the government of its rights of confiscation, will be held void at what time soever made.

“ VI. The commission is authorized to employ, in working the plantation of any person who has remained quietly at his home, ■whether he be loyal or disloyal, the negroes who may be found in said district, or who have, or may hereafter claim, the protection of the United States, upon the terms set forth in the memoranda of a contract heretofore offered to the planters in the parishes of Plaquemines ‘ and St. Bernard, or white labor may be employed, at the election of the commission.

“ VII. The commissioners will cause to be purchased such supplies as may be necessary, and convey them to such convenient depots, as to supply the planters in the making of the crop; which supplies will be charged against the croi> manufactured, and shall constitute a lien thereon.

“VIII. The commissioners are authorized to work, for the account of the United States, such plantations as are deserted by their owners, or are held by disloyal owners, as may seem to them expedient, for the purpose of saving the crops.

“IX. Any persons who have not been actually in arms against the United States since the occupation of New Orleans by its forces, and who shall remain peaceably upon their plantations, affording no aid or comfort to the enemies of the United States, and who shall return to their allegiance, and who shall, by all reasonable methods, aid the United States when called upon, may be empowered by the commission to work their own plantations, to make their own crop, and to retain possession of their own property, except such as is necessary for the military uses of the United States. And to all such persons the commission are authorized to furnish means of transportation for their crops and supplies, at just and equitable prices.

“ X. The commissioners are empowered and authorized to hear, determine, and definitely report upon all questions of the loy[655]

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