Freedom: A Documentary History of Emancipation, 1861-1867: Series 3, Volume 2: Land and Labor, 1866-1867

Symbols and Abbreviations

Symbols and Abbreviations Editorial Symbols [roman] Words or letters in roman type within brackets represent editorial inference or conjecture of parts of manuscripts that are illegible, obscured, or mutilated. A question mark indicates conjecture. [ . . . ] A three-dot ellipsis within brackets represents illegible or obscured words that the editors cannot decipher. If there is more than one undecipherable word, a note reports the extent of the passage. . . .5 A three-dot ellipsis and a note represent words or passages entirely lost because the manuscript is torn or a portion is missing. The note reports the approximate amount of material missing. canceled Canceled type represents material written and then crossed out by the author of a manuscript. This device is used only when the editors judge that the crossed-out material reflects an important alteration of meaning. Ordinarily, canceled words are omitted without notation. [italic] Words or letters in italic type within brackets represent material that has been inserted by the editors and is not part of the original manuscript. A question mark indicates that the insertion is a conjecture. . . . . A four-dot ellipsis centered on a separate line represents editorial omission of a substantial body of material. A shorter omission, of only one or two sentences, is indicated by a four-dot ellipsis between two sentences. xxviii SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS Symbols Used to Describe Manuscripts Symbols used to describe the handwriting, form, and signature of each document appear at the end of each document. The first capital letter describes the handwriting of the document: A autograph (written in the author’s hand) H handwritten by other than the author (for example, by a clerk) P printed T typed The second capital letter, with lower-case modifier when appropriate, describes the form of the document: L letter c copy D document p press copy E endorsement d draft W wire (telegram) f fragment The third capital letter describes the signature: S signed by the author Sr signed with a representation of the author’s name I initialed by the author no signature or representation For example, among the more common symbols are ALS (autograph letter, signed by author), HLS (handwritten letter, signed by author), HLSr (handwritten letter, signed with a representation), HLcSr (handwritten copy of a letter, signed with a representation ), HD (handwritten document, no signature). SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS xxix Abbreviations for Record Groups in the National Archives of the United States RG 11 General Records of the United States Government RG 15 Records of the Veterans Administration RG 21 Records of District Courts of the United States RG 45 Naval Records Collection of the Office of Naval Records and Library RG 46 Records of the United States Senate RG 49 Records of the Bureau of Land Management RG 56 General Records of the Department of the Treasury RG 58 Records of the Internal Revenue Service RG 59 General Records of the Department of State RG 60 General Records of the Department of Justice RG 77 Records of the Office of the Chief of Engineers RG 92 Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General RG 94 Records of the Adjutant General’s Office, 1780s–1917 RG 99 Records of the Office of the Paymaster General RG 101 Records of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency RG 105 Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands RG 107 Records of the Office of the Secretary of War RG 108 Records of the Headquarters of the Army RG 109 War Department Collection of Confederate Records RG 110 Records of the Provost Marshal General’s Bureau (Civil War) RG 153 Records of the Office of the Judge Advocate General (Army) RG 159 Records of the Office of the Inspector General RG 217 Records of the United States General Accounting Office RG 233 Records of the United States House of Representatives RG 366 Records of Civil War Special Agencies of the Treasury Department RG 393 Records of United States Army Continental Commands, 1821–1920 xxx SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS Short Titles “Freedmen’s Bureau Orders,” House Exec. Doc. 70 U.S. Congress, House of Representatives, “Freedmen’s Bureau. Letter from the Secretary of War, in Answer to a Resolution of the House of March 8, Transmitting a Report, by the Commissioner of the Freedmen’s Bureau, of All Orders Issued by Him or Any Assistant Commissioner,” 19 Mar. 1866, House Executive Documents, 39th Cong., 1st sess., No. 70, serial 1256...