The most immediate issue demanding Grant’s attention after Pemberton’s surrender was what to do about slaves kept by rebel officers. A member of Pemberton’s staff informed Grant that some slaves desired to return home to their masters and that forcing them to separate was “like severing families.” Grant believed the decision should rest entirely with the blacks affected and “that no compulsory measures would be used to hold negroes. I want the negroes all to understand that they are free men.”
