(MILITARY--CIVIL WAR.) Lawyer's circular promising to secure post-war compensation for "loyal owners of slaves enlisted in the army." Printed circular letter, 13¾ x 8½ inches, signed in type by C.H. Barkley; mailing folds, minor wear to top edge, unrelated poem written in pencil on verso. Louisville, KY, 7 August 1866
After the Civil War, many northern lawyers made a good living by securing pensions for Civil War soldiers and widows, and compensation claims for property confiscated by the Union army. These are the routine services offered in the top portion of this circular.
In the Union's border states such as Kentucky, where slavery remained legal after the Emancipation Proclamation, slave owners often allowed their enslaved men to serve in the Union Army. Post-war lawyers could thus offer another service. Here, Louisville attorney C.H. Barkley addresses a message to "Loyal Owners of Slaves enlisted into the army," offering free consultations by mail: "Many persons have claims without knowing it. If correspondents will state the facts, I will cheerfully let them know the law." No other examples of this circular have been traced; we do not recall ever seeing anything similar.
