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George O'Meally was a corporal in the 2nd Battalion, Veteran Reserve Corps of the Union Army during the Civil War. He recently visited a contraband camp ("contraband" was a term used during the Civil War to refer to formerly enslaved people who had escaped to Union lines), stating that they "appear happy and contented, with good clothes and plenty to eat." He also visited the colored regiment's camp and was amazed by its "good order," calling it a "model for every veteran regiment." Writes that he was astonished to see so many men in the colored regiment trying to learn how to read and write. Asks for news on Suanders, an African American man whom he freed from slavery.