Summary:
Union General Newton M. Curtis orders Colonel Stratton to march with his command
to Staunton in May, 1865, to accept the surrender of Confederate General Thomas
Rosser's command. Curtis instructs Stratton on procedure for turning surrendered
arms and stores over to the army. He instructs that all commissary stores be
distributed to needy Valley citizens, and that all private citizens be well
treated.
Lieut.-Col. STRATTON,
Cmdg. Eleventh Pennsylvania
Cavalry:
Richmond, Va.,
May 4, 1865.
SIR:
The commanding general directs that you proceed to Staunton, Va., to receive the surrender of Gen. Rosser's command. By agreement with the authorities here he is to have his command collected and necessary steps taken for their parole on the 10th instant. The general terms are the same as those agreed upon between Gen.'s Grant and Lee. All public stores appertaining to said command,whether of ordnance, quartermaster's, or commissary will be received by you. The ordnance stores will be brought to such point on the Virginia Central Railroad as is in communication with this place by cars, and thence sent forward to the chief of ordnance of this department by railroad. All quartermaster's and commissary stores will be distributed to the needy persons of the country between Staunton and Gordonsville. When you shall have received the public stores of Gen. Rosser's command you will return to Charlottesville and communicate with these headquarters by telegraph, or, should there be no communication with this place by telegraph or cars, you will go to such point of the Central Railroad that there is. In your march through the country you will hold your command to the strictest rules of discipline and order, giving protection to persons and property, and bands of outlaws and guerrillas infesting the country will be broken up, and the partisans sent to these headquarters for trial. You will move with fourteen days' rations and short forage for your command. You will forward from Charlottesville, or such other place as you return to, a full report of your operations, indicating the number of arms received, quantity of quartermaster's and commissary stores and the disposition made thereof. Such instructions as you may need hereafter will be received from Brevet Brig.-Gen. Voris, commanding the district, or from these headquarters direct.
I am, very respectfully, &c.,
N. M. CURTIS,
Brig.-Gen. and Chief of Staff.
Bibliographic Information : Letter Reproduced from The War of The Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series 1, Volume 46, Serial No. 97, Pages 1088-1089, Broadfoot Publishing Company, Wilmington, NC, 1997.
