The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-07-17
SLAVERY AND TIE CAPTURE OF WASHING.
TON CITY In 1914,

SLANBkf AAD THE CAfTUkE UT WAbHlNG-
TON CITY In 1914.
Those who have attentively read the history
Of our last war with Great Britain may have not
ed, that when the British in the Chesapeake
evinoed their intention Of making q descent on
either Baltimore or Washington, the President
and his Cabinet ordered the regular force TO be
stationed at Patuxent for the protection Of the
former. and made requisiiion on PENNSYLVANIA
Maryland, and Virginia, for 10000 militia for the
defence Of the latter, the number apportioned to
Maryland being G 000 and to Virginia for some
reason or other, but 1000 men And they may
have further observed, that when the American
forces made, near Bladensburgh, their stand
against the British, who had now shown their
destination to be the National Capital, the Vir-
ginia militia, though known, many days previous
10 have been on their way, aud within so miles of
the scene Of action, were still unaccountably alb
sent, and 30 continued until our army, being I'M
able, for want Of numbers, to cope with the enc
my, fell back towards Georgetown, when one
Virginia regiment, not numbering, probably, over
one fourth Of the required 000 for the irst time
reached the ground, but constituted both too
small and too late an accession to he Of any ser
vice in saving the Capitol from the Vandal coDfa-
grafton that followed
In reading the history Of this humiliating event.
we used 20 wonder, IS have doubtless many 9th
ers where were the militia Of the once gallant Old
Dominion that they did not fly, at the first alarm,
TO the defence Of the meuaced Capitol, which
stood so directly on her borders and we were
never able 10 find any solutOa to Ibo mystery till
we subsequently became temporary resident OF
the Northern part Of Virginia, the section upon
| which the requisition for the aforementioned
number of militia had been made. Here we
| learned from the concurrent testimony ofthe best
informed, the following fact which, as nothing OF
the kind has ever been published, we must be con-
tent to state on our own responsibility
When the requisition on Virginia reached
through her Governor, General Madison, who
was a brother of President Madison, and who
was at the time, the commsndant Of that division
Of the militia whose services we're required, he
promptly issued his orders collected his quota
and commenced his march for the scene Of action
| Scarcely, however, had his force passed from
| Orange, Culpepper, Madison, and other adjoin.
ing counties, from which it had been principally
raised before the slaves in all that session were
seen to be in commotion. A rumor II appeared
the source Of which nobody knew, had suddenly
| suread everywhere Anong them, that some pow
I erruf Foreign F1u8, from AIfICS we Uene's
they bad Il, with 6 sufficient force 70 accomplish
his purpose - a-r sAd on the coast TO give free
dom to all the slaves OF virginia. This rumOS
i
simultaneously quilted work, and, without mani
Testing the least disposition to injure the whites
began in their joyful excitement, to run from
| plantation to plantation, collect in bodies, and
prepare to 90 off TO meet their expected deliverers
The white inhabitants, in the mean tune, who
as has ever been the case with the whole South
were sensitively alive to the fear Of slave insur
rection, and were now thoroughly alarmed by this
movement among the blacks, as harmless as wa'
the shape It had taken, sent off express after ex
| press to General Madison, whose force had mad,
q temporary halt in the vicinity Of the Potomac
from which 1t was upon the point Of moving on Il
Washington, and begged him to return with hi
troops TO quell the apprehended instruction o
the slaves. This at once completely paralyzeC
the movements Of General Madison. He imme
diately marched back with the principal part o
his force leaving the rest we believe TO remain
the spot to await the event. and be in readiness t
return also, If wanted. Finding, however, in
few days that the forces with which he had re
turned were sufficient to overawe the slaves
though he dared not again withdraw them from
the infected district he finally sent orders to thu
remnant he had left on the Potomac to move OF
to Washington as they then did, but reached thu
place, as before stated too late to be of any ser
vice.
II the opinions Of the military men of the day, In
deeming the battle Of Biadensburgh to be of an
! indecisive character, and In considering that
small additional force would have enabled the
Americans 20 have there made successful stand
were we'll founded, who need not doubt that haC
the Virginia brigade, which had thus been recall
ed and kept back TO take care Of the slaves beer
on the ground in season, the fortunes Of the da,
had been with us, and the National Capitol saw
ed from destruction
To Southern men who talk of disunion AM
Northern men who believe that it will ever b
seriously attempted by the former, the fact W
have just stated should be alike significant and in
structive. Let them ponder upon it.
The above we copy from the Green Mountain
(Vt) FesmGM
In addition to this, we may state that in 1775
after the battle of Bunker Hill when Congress vot
cd that each State should raise it's contingent Of sol
diers for the common defence South Carolins
asked that her soldiers might remain at home, in
consequence Of her peculiar institution, which
request was granted. In the nine years OF the
Revolution, South Carolina sent into the cont.
mental army AIT soldiers; while Connecticut sent
! 80, O39-yet Connecticut had not 80 large popu.
laion as South Carolina The six Slave States
sent only SO 1896 soldiers to that war; while New
! England alone sent ll9 3O5, besides militia
| This Is not TO be attributed to any want Of cou-
rage in the Southern States, but solely 10 the
weakness engeudered by the existence Of slavery
And yet, with these facts staring us in the face,
the State Of South Carolina threatens to dissolve
the Union, and swaggers boldly about resistance
to the last extremity Under the lead Of Gen
Quattlebum, they will doubtless perform feats Of
valor which shall astonish the world The race
Of BOmb0aes FwiosOS is not yet extinct
ALABAMA.--Hon William r. King, Of Ala
hama, has written a letter, declaring himself de-
cidedly opposed to the leading Compromises Of
the last session Of Congress The admission of
California into the Union, he pronounces an act
of injustice, and says that no man should have
felt more indignant than he did at this partial
aud unjust legislation. The bill abolshing
slavery under certain circumstances in the Dis
trict Of Columbia, he says he could not have
given his sanction to under any crcumstan-
ces and he takes ground that he should feel 1t q
bounden duty TO vote for the repeal Of the eman-
cipation clause whenever proposed He declares
that he would again, ~ he did at the last Con-
gress, vote for the repeal Of the Mexican law
prohibiting slavery in Utah and New Mexico
lie also repudiates all connection with the Union
party.
ILIIson---The Anti-Slavery men Of South
ern Illinois met In Eden, Randolph Co, June 4
The Fugitive Slave Law was severely denounced