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Use microfilm copy. Arlington County (Va.) Reel 55 is an incomplete copy of both the Courts Martial book and the Census of the Black Population, lacking several pages at the end of the Courts Martial information and surnames Q from the Census. It is a negative copy. Arlington County (Va.) Reel 268 is a positive copy of the entire volume.
Arlington County (Va.) Courts Martial Book, Military District of Alexandria, 1864-1865. Local government records collection, Arlington County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.
This volume came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Arlington County. Microfilm reel 55 was generated by the Library of Virginia's Imaging Services Branch. Microfilm reel 268 was generated by OCLC through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program.
Arlington County was formed in 1789 from Fairfax County and was at that time named Alexandria County. The county was ceded to the federal government in 1801 and was part of the District of Columbia until 1846 when it was returned to the state of Virginia. Alexandria County changed its name in 1920 to Arlington County.
In 1865, the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands ordered its superintendents to as soon as possible take a census of all colored people within their districts to aid bureau agents in their duties such as finding employment, discouraging vagrancy, handing out rations, and assisting people in returning to their former residences if so desired.
Arlington County (Va.) Courts Martial Book, Military District of Alexandria, 1864-1865, contains general orders convening the court martial, lists of the detail for the court, special orders appointing new or additional members, and then lists of the soldiers who appeared before the court. Information recorded for each soldier includes name, company, regiment, witnesses, summons sent to appear, date case commenced, date case finished, and date case sent to headquarters. The soldiers are all from Union or United States army units. Arrangement is by general order number which are in date order. There is no index.
Following the courts martial information is an incomplete [Census of the Black Population of Alexandria County], Surnames Q-Y and B only, 1865. Information recorded includes name, color (black, mulatto, quadroon, octoroon), sex (male, female), age (14 and under, under 20 over 14, under 50 over 20, under 70 over 50, over 70), status (slave, free), occupation (resident, laborer, mechanic, able to read, unable to read), and number of district. Following the lists of names are summaries and estimates by district numbers 1-8 and "outside city" of the numbers of persons in each of these categories. A statement at the end of the census reads "These persons live in the upper part of Alexandria County nearly all within four miles of the Freedmans Village. The detail engaged in taking the census were relieved before quite completing it, but made an estimate as accurately as possible and reported 250 names not taken. They have been classified by me in proportion [to] the summary of the census and added as above. These Returns embrace all of Alexandria County, Va, Freedmens Village Excepted. (sig) Henry E. Alvord, Superintendant."