Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1861-08-16

up their homes at Hampton, fleeing
aercss the creek within my lines for
protection and support. Indeed it was
a most distressing sight, to see these
poor creatures, who had trusted to the
protection of the arms of the United
States, and who aided the troops of the
United States in their enterprise, to be
thus obliged to fee from their homes,
and the homes of their masters, who
deserted them, and become not fugitives
from fear of the return of the rebel SOL
diery, who had threatened to shoot the
men who had wrought for us, and to
carry off the women, who had served US
to worse than Egyptian bondage. I
have therefore now within the PENN
su1a, this side of Hampton Greek, 900
negroes, 800 of whom are able bodied
men, 30 of whom are men substantially
past hard labor, 175 women, 225 chill
dren under the age Of 10 years, and 170
between 10 and Is years, and many
more coming in. The questions which
this state Of facts present are very en-
barrasslng
'First-What shall be done with
tn I'm? and Second, What is their state
and condition?
"Upon these questions I desire the
instructions of the Department.
The first question, however, may
perhaps be answered by considering the
last. Are these men, women and chill
dren, slaves? Are they free? Is their
condition that Of men, women and chill
dren, or of property, or is it mixed re-
lation? What their status was under
the Constitution and laws, we all know
What has been the effects Of rebellion
and state of war upoa that status2-
When adopted the theory Of treating
the able bodied negro fit to work in
the trenches, as property liable to be
used in aid of the rebellion, and so con-
traband of war, that condition of things
was in 50 far met as then and still be-
lieve, on legal and constitutional ba
sis. But now Il new series of questions
arise. Passing by women the children
certainly cannot be treated on that ba-
sis; if property, they must be considered
the incumbrance, rather than the auXil-
llary of an army, and, of course, in no
possible legal relation could be treated
as contraband. Are they property? If
they were so, they have been left by
their masters and owners, deserted
thrown away, abandoned like the
wrecked vessel upon the ocean. Their
former possessors and owners have
causeless y, traitorously, rebeliously,
and to carry out the figure, abandoned
them to be swallowed up by the winter
storm of starvation. If property, do
they not become the property of the
salvors? but we, their salvors, do not
need and will not hold such property,
and will assume no such ownership; has
not therefore all property relation
ceased? Have they not become there
upon, men, women, and children? No
longer under ownership of any kind,
the fearful relicts of fugitive masters,
have they not by their masters acts,
and the state of war, assumed the CON
dition, which we hold to be the normal
one OF those made in Gods Image. Is
not every constitutional, legal and
moral requirement, as we'll to the runa
way master as their relinquished slaves,
thus answered? | confess that my own
mind is compelled by this reasoning to
look upon them as men and women. If
not freeborn, yet free, manumitted, sent
forth from the hand that held them,
never to be reclaimed.
''Of course if this reasoning thus i'm
perfectly set forth is correct, my duty
as a humane man is very plain. [
should take the same care of these men,
women and children, houseless, home
less and unprovided for, as [ would of
the same number Of men, women and
children. who for their attachment to
the Union had been driven or allowed
to flee from the Confederate States. [
should have no doubt on this question,
had [ not seen it stated, that an order
had been issued by Gen. Mcdowell in
his department, substantially forbidding
all fugitive slaves from coming within
his lines, or harbored there Is that
order to be enforced in all Military De-
Partments? If SO, who are to be con-
sidered fugitive slaves? Is a slave to
be considered fugitive, whose master
runs away and leaves him? Is it for
hidden for the troops to aid or harbor
within their lines the negro children
who are found therein, or is the soldier,
when his march has destroyed their
means Of subsistence, to allow tt EN- to
starve because he has driven off the
Rebel master? How shall the com
mander Of regiment or battalion sit in
judgment upon the question, whether
any given black man has fled from his
master, or his master fled from him.
Indeed. how are the free born to be dis
tinguished? Is one any more or less
fugitive slave because he has labored
upon the Rebel intrenchments? IF he
has SO labored, if [ understand it, he
is to be harbored. By the reception Of
which, are the Rebels most to be dis
tressed, by taking those who have
wrought all their Rebel masters desired,
masked their battery, or those who
have refused to labor, and left the bat
terry unmasked?
Il have very decided opinions upon
the subject of this order. 1t does not
become me to criticse it, and I write in
no spirit of criticism, but simply to ex-
plain the full difficulties that surround
the enforcing it. If the enforcement of
that order becomes the policy of the
Government. [, as a soldier, shall be
bound to enforce it steadfastly, if not
checrfully. But if left to my own dis
erection, as you may have gathered from
my reasoning, I should take widely
different course from that which it in
dicates.
"In loyal State I would put down
servile insurrection. In a State Of
rebellion, [ would confscate that which
was used to oppose my arms, and take
all that property, which constituted the