Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1861-08-14
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1 hEADogARTEks DEPARTMENT OF VIRornIA ~ -
Ir b. Fortress Monroe, July 80, 1861. (
non. SIMON CAMERoE, Secretary of War:
| 4, ST-by an order received on the morning Of
!ne 2ota July, from Major-G General Dix, by q
Geographic order from I,ieutensnt e. neral
scott'l was commanded to forward, of The
troops o, this department, four regiments and 4
naii, including Colonel Bakers California Reg.
lmens' 10 washington via Baltimore. This
order reached me at 2 o'clock A. M. bv
special boat from Baltimore. Belieying
| that it emanated because of some pressine
exigency for the defense OF Washington. T. IL.
sued my orders before daybreak for the embark.
sIlon OF the troops, sending those who were
among The very beet regiments had. Ia the
course OF the following day, they were all en-
parked for Baltimore, with the exception Of
some 4O0, for whom had not TRANSPORTATION
although bad all the transport force In the
hands OF the Quarter Master here, 10 Aid the
pay line OF steamers, which, by the same order
rom the Lieutenant General, was directed 10
furnish transportation. Up to and at the time
OIL the order, had been preparing for an ad.
vance movement by which hoped to cripple
Ihe resources Of the enemy at Yorktown, and
especially by seizing large quantity of negroes
VINO were oelng pressed into their service In
puiioing the entrenchments there. had Eve
days previously been enabled to mount for the
nrst time, the first company of light artillery,
which had been empo wered to raise. and
they had but sirgle rifed cannon, an iron
six-pounder. OF course everything must
and did yield to the supposed exigeucy
and the orders. This ordering away the
troops from this Department, while ID
weakened the posts at Newport News, neces.
sltatedithe withdrawal Of the troops from Hamp-
ton, where was then throwing up intrenched
worksto enable me to hold the town with a small
force, while advanced up the York or James
river. In the village of Hampton there were
large number Of negroes, composed in great
measure OF women and children OF the men who
had lied thither within my lines for protection,
VINO mad escaped from maurauding parties OF
reoels who had been gathering up able bodied
blacks 10 aid them In constructing their batteries
on the James and York rivers, had employ
ed the men Ia Hampton in throwing up intr ench-
ments' and they were working zealously and
emcientiy at that duty, saving our soldiers from
lnas labor under the gleam Of the midday sun.
me women were earning substantially their
own subsistence in washing, marketing, and
taxing care Of the clothes of the soldiers, and
rations were being served out to the men who
worked Tor the support of the children. But by
tne evacuation OF Hampton, rendered necessary
py the withdrawal of troops, leaving me scarce.
y hve thousand men outside the fort, including
the force at Newport News, all these black peo
pie were obliged to break up their homes at
hampton, fleeing across the creek within nv
lines Tor protection and support Indeed IL was
q most distressing sight, TO see these poor crea-
lures, who had trusted to the protection of the
arms OF the United States, and who aided the
troops Of the United States ia their enterprise,
y be thus obliged to fee from the homes of
heir masters, who had deserted them, and be-
come not fugitives from fear of the return of
the rebel soldlery, who had threatened to shoot
the men who had wrought for Us, and to carry
on the women, who had served us, to worse
than Egyptian bondage. have therefore now
within the Peninsula, this side of Hampton
Creek, nine hundred negroes, three hundred of
whom are sble-bodied men, thirty Of whom are
substantially past hard labor, one hundred and
seventy.fve women, two hundred and twenty.
i've children under the age of ten years, and
one hundred and seventy between ten and eiRh.
teen years, and many more coming in. The
questions which this state Of facts present are
very embarrassing. 5tnu5 J. Esa'To1HGsge
First-Whas shall be done with them and
Second, What is their state aud condition2 =
Upon these questions / desire the instruc-
tionsfof the Department. ..g.,5-g ri, -.
The first questions however, may perhaps be
answered BY eonsideriDg the last. Are these
men, women and children slaves2 Are they
free2 Is their condition that of men, women
and children, or OF property, or 10 it mixed
reiationf What their status was under the
N.nn0fliutiNns and aswo. Ill a
been the elect of the rebellion and state of |
war upon that statas? When, 4 adopted the
theory Of treating the able-bodied negro, ft 10
work In the trenches, as property liable to, be
used In aid Of rebellion, and go contraband of
war, that condition of things was, as 7 then
aud still believes on legal and constitutional
basis. Butnow new series of questions arise.
Passing by women, the children certainly cam
not be treated on that basis; IL property, ,they
must be considered gthe lincumbrance., rather
than the auxiliary of an army, and, of course.
in no possible legal relation, could be treated
as contraband.r Are they property ae II they
we're so, they have been left BY their No asters
and owners, deserted, thrown away, Abandoned
like the wrecked vessel upon the ocean, Their
former possessors and owners have canselessly,
traitorously, rebeliously, and, to carry, out the
ngure, practically abandoned them to be swal-
lowed up by the w Winter storm Of Starvation n,---
II property, do they not become the prop-
erty OF the salyors2 But we, their salvors,
do not need and will not hold such property,
and will assume no such ownership !; has not
therefore all proprietary relation ceased2-
nave tney not become thereupon men, women
and ohildren2 No longer under ownership
OF any kind, the, fearful relicts Of fugitive
masters, have they not by their mssters' acts.
and the state OF war, assumed the condition.
wnich We hold to be the normal one, Of those
made In God 8 image2 Is not every, constitu.
tlonai, legal anc moral requirement, as well 10
tneif runaway master as their relinquished
slaves, thus answered. confess that my own
mind 10 compelled BY this reasoning to look up-
on them as men and women. IL not fres born,
yes free, manumitted, sent forth from the hand
that held them never to be reclaimed. OIL
course II this reasoning thus imperfeotly Get
forth 10 correct, my duty as d human man Ia
very plain. / should take the same care of
these men, women and children, ghouseless.
homeless and unproyided for, as would for the
same number of mon, women and children. who |
TOT their attachment to the Union had, bean
driven or allowed TO fee from the Con Moderate
States. I should have no doubt ON this oues--
tion, had not eeen it stated that an order, had
been issued by General Mcdowell in his de-
partment, Substantially forbdding all fugitive
slaves from coming within bis, lines,y or heinz
there 1sthat order 10 be enforced in
all military departmental IL so, who are ,to Ia
fugitive slayesi Isa slave 10 be eon-
sidefed fugitive whose master fuus avav and
leaves hint Is 10 forbidden 10 the troops 10 Ala
Or harbor within their lines, the negro children
who are found therein, or is the soldier. when
hia naroh has daatrov ad hia =. .... : r III