Third Military District

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First Military District
Second Military District
Third Military District
Fourth Military District
Fifth Military District Reconstruction military districts.svg
Map of the five Reconstruction military districts
  Third Military District

The Third Military District of the U.S. Army was one of five temporary administrative units of the U.S. War Department that existed in the American South. The district was stipulated by the Reconstruction Acts during the Reconstruction period following the American Civil War. [1] It comprised Georgia, Florida and Alabama and was headquartered in Atlanta. [2]

The district was originally commanded by General John Pope [3] until his removal by President Andrew Johnson on December 28, 1867, when General George Gordon Meade took his place. [4] Meade served at the current location of Fort McPherson until August 1868 after Alabama and Florida were re-admitted into the United States.

Because of the expulsion of Blacks from the Georgia legislature, a new and final military commander was appointed on December 22, 1869, General Alfred Terry. [5] In January, he returned the legislators and ousted 29 Democrats. In February, the Fourteenth amendment was ratified by Georgia and by July it was re-admitted into the Union.

See also

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References

  1. "Landmark Legislation: The Reconstruction Act of 1867". United States Senate. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  2. Vergun, David. "150 years ago: Army takes on peacekeeping duties in post-Civil War South". U.S. Army. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  3. "War Department. Third Military District. 3/11/1867-7/28/1868 Organization Authority Record". National Archives Catalog. U.S. Government. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  4. Atlanta city directory website, timeline of Atlanta history. Archived August 31, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  5. Whitney, Sandra. "Honor and Duty: The Life of Alfred Howe Terry". Connecticut History. Connecticut Humanities. Retrieved 25 August 2022.