Oliver Otis Howard, Autobiography of Oliver Otis Howard, major general , United States army : volume 2

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[275] the card or the book was imparting. There was another fruitful institution, namely, the colored regiment. An instance will illustrate. A regiment was stationed at Fort Livingston, La. An officer selected ten of the brightest-appearing colored soldiers and spent two hours a day in teaching them to read. This he did under a promise that each of the ten would take a class of four and devote the same amount of time to them. Books and cards were obtained and the school undertaken. The soldiers faithfully kept their agreement; while being taught they instructed one another and in a few days many of the regiment had begun to read. The soldiers then hired a competent teacher to extend their knowledge. This good work had gone on about a year when the friendly officer declared that his A B C pupils were already taking, and in addition to enjoying the illustrations, were reading forty copies of Harper's and Frank Leslie's Weeklies besides other papers.

The first year of school work appeared to all of us who were interested only a nucleus, a preparation for the future. Hitherto, donations from the benevolent had been generously made, and there was hope of a steady continuance. Hindrances, however, as in all undertakings, made their appearance and made it difficult to keep the official and the benevolent in harmony. As means of transportation in the South on land and water naturally ceased to be under Government control with the withdrawal of troops, it became difficult to furnish transportation to teachers or society agents. Before the end of 1865, such transportation was altogether interdicted by the Secretary. of War. Again citizen opposition in every locality where there were schools was gathering force. Places which