Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1861-08-21


Butler has been received at the War De-
partment. 1t will be read with great inter-
est:
"HEADQUARrERs DEPARTMENT OF VIRGINIA.,
FORTRESS MONROE, July so, 1861.
"HoE. SIMON CAMERON, SEc'Y OF WAR:
SIN: BY an cider received on the morn
ing of the goth of July from Major Gener-
al Dix, by Geographic order from Lieu
tenant General Scott, was commanded to
forward, Of the troops OF this department,
four regiments and halt, including Col.
Bakers California Regiment, to Washing
ton, via Baltimore. This order reached
me at two o'clock, a. m, BY special boat
from Baltimore. Up 10 the time of the
order, had been preparing for an advanced
movement by which | hoped to cripple the
resources of the enemy at \ Yorktown, and
! esl eciaIIy by Selling a large number OF ne
groes who We're being pressed in their SER
! vice in I,uilding the intrenchlnents there.
/ This ordering away the troops from this de-
partment, while it weakened the posts at
Newport News, necessitated the withdrawal
of the troops from Hampton, where was
then throwing up intrenched works to enable
me to hold the town with small force,
while / adyanced up the the York or james
river. LII the Village Of Hampton there
were large number Of negroes, composed
in great measure Of women and children
of the men who had fled trither within my
| lines for protection, who had escaped from
marauding parties OF rebels who had been
gathering up able-bodied blacks to and
them in constructing their batteries on the
James and York rivers. had employed
the men in Hampton in throwing UP in
trenchments, and they were working zeal
ously and efficiently at that duty, saving
our soldiers from that labor under the
CLEAN of the mid-day sun. The women
were earning substantially their own sub
sistence in washing, marketing, and taking
care Of the clothes Of the soldiers, and RAJ
tons were being served cut to the men who
worked for the support Of the children.
But by the evacuation OF Hampton, rem
dered necessary by the withdrawal oftroops,
leaving me scarcely 5000 men outside the
Fort, including the force al Newport News,
all these black people were obliged to break
up their homes at Hampton, fleeing across
the creek within my lines for protection and
support. Indeed it was NEST 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, 10 be
thus obliged to flee from their homes and
| the homes Of their masters, who bad de-
| serted them, and become hot fugltIves from
/! fear Of the return OF the Rebel soldiery, who
| had threatened to shoot the men who bad
wrought for us, and to carry off the wo-
men who had served US to a worse than
Egyptian bondage. have therefore now
within the Peninsula, this side Of Hamp-
ton Creek. 900 negroes, 800 Of whom are
men substantially past hard labor, l75 wo-
men, 225 children under the age of 10
wears, and ITO between 10 and Is year,,
and many more coming in. The questions
which this state of facts present are very
embarrassing.
"F1ySt-Wh hat shall be done with them
and Second, What is their state and con-
dltion?
upon these questions | desire the in
structlons Of the Department.
"The first question, however may per
haps be answered by considering the last.
Are these men, women and children slaves
Ale they free! Is their condition that Of
men, women and children, or of property,
or is ii mixed relation? What their sta
tbs was under the constitution and laws,
we all know. What has been the effect Of
rebellion and state of war upon that sta
tus2 When adopted the theory of treat
inc the able bodied negro fit to work in
the trenches, as property liable to be used
in aid of rebellion, and so contraband OF
war; that condition Of things was in SO far
met as | then and still believe, on 4 legal
and constitutional basis. But now new
series of questions arise. Passing by wo-
men, the children certainly cannot be treat
ed on that basis; if property, they must be
| considered the incumbrance, rather than the
auxiliary of an army, and, Of course, IN no
possible legal relation, could not be Treated
is contraband. Are they property II
they were so, they have been lett by their
masters and owners, deserted, thrown away,
abandoned, like the wrecked vessel upon
the ocean. Their former possessors and
owners, have causelessly y, traitofo'lsy, rebel
liously, aud, to carry out the figue, practi-
calIv abandoned them to be swallowed Up
by the winter storm Of starvation. II prop
eity, do they not become the property u
the salyolsg but We. their salyors, do not
need and will not hold such property and
viii assume no such ownership; has not
therefore Ill proprietary relation ceased
Have they not become thereupon men, wo-
men aud chil Irens No longer under own
ership Of any kind, the fearful relicts Of fu-
eitiye masters, have they not by their mas
ter's acts, and the state of war, assumed the
condition. which we hold to be the normal
one, Of those made IN Gous ltnages l. not
every constitutional, legal aud moral re-
auiremeut, as well to the runaway master
Is their relinquished SLAVES, thus answered
confess thai my own mind Is competed
/ BY this reasoning to look upon them a. men,