Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-11-19
The ssContrnbnpdso at Port Royal.

rebellion. A correspondent Of the New
York Post describes in very clever style
some of the sayings and doings of the slaves
on the landing of our troops;
THE NEGROES TRADING.
Early in the morning, after the victory,
the plantation negroes began to come into
camp, and, with the genuine African instinct
for trade each had provided himself with
turkey, a shoulder OF. bacon, or two shoul-
ders and brace of hams, in the shape of
| struggling porker, which he bore, kicking
and squealing, under his arm. 1t was anus
! ing to see the pertinacity with which the
fellows would cling to their prize, even while
waiting to be questioned under guard of a
file of soldiers The instant one was spoken
| to- the bit of wide awake or the rimless
crown of straw which did duty as hat,
would be ierked off with characteristic obse-
| quiousness, the negro stand scraping and
bowipg, answering meanwhile his catechism,
as we'll as he could, with the noisy and strug-
Cling beast distracting his attention.
Several who came in brought wagons
loaded with knspsacks and other accouter-
ments which they had picked up on the way.
were fortunate to have possessed themselves
of some stray horse or pair of plantation
mules found abundant occupation.
THEY ARE CARED FOR.
AS our troops were at first too busy in
making good their position to attend to any
thing else, and the Quartermasters had al
ready more upon their hands than they could
we'll attend to, the negroes who appeared
were not encouraged to remain, but were at
once sent back, and on one pretense and an
other to take care of themselves. But by
the morning of the second day fifty were
already gathered at head. quarters, and signs
of much greater influx were abundant.
Those who remained were put under the
charge oR Captain Goodrich, the Quarter
master of General Wrights Brigade, who
saw that their wants were well attended to,
giving up an old building to their accom-
mediation.
Our troops were accompanied in their first
reconnaissance into the island by DR.. ]. j.
| Craven, the efficient surgeon of the Third
| Brigade, who reports the negroes on the
plantations further inland as almost wild
with delight at the advent of our troops, and
the hasty fight of their masters, which they
described with the utmost gusto.
THE DAY OF DELIvERANcE.
"Oh Lord massa," said one, "we'se so
| glad to see you. We'se prayed and prayed
the good Lord that he would send you
Yankees, and we knowed youse was COM
ing =,
Craven. "You can't read the paper; how did
you get the news2"
mo, massa, we'se can't read, but we'se can
| listen. Massa and missus used to read, and
| sometimes they's would read aloud, and then
we would listen so"-making an expressive
| gesture, indicative of close attention at a
| key. .hole-"when Use gita chance Use would
| listen, and Jim, him would listen, and we
| put the bits together, and we know'd the
Yankees were coming. Bless the Lord,
massa." ''t''
CONVERSATIONS WITH THE ooNTRABANDs,
| Another stout fellow asserted that the
| good Lord had appeared to him in the shape
| of yankee" who assured him that his
hour of deliverance was at hand.
The poor, trusting creatures never seemed
to question that war which they had heard
| was all about them must mean their deliver
! ance ce from a bondage with which they do not
seem to have been sufficiently in love to fol
low the fortunes of their fleeing masters.
A drivers whip which was picked up, and
which the correspondent of the EUeninS
Post now has in his possession, was shown
one of them, and he was asked if he knew
| what it was. ..
| "Golly, massa p said the negro, with 6
suspicious, side. long look at the familiar
whip he saw raised aloft, "Guess dis niggeI
knows what dat dere is" and he proceeded
to explain the use to which it was applied.
When some doubt was expressed as to the
negro statements in regard to numbers, one
| of them answered:
"We can't read but wese can count"
"How did you learn to, count?"
| "Picking cotton, massa. We'se all got II
count when we pick cotton, massa."
There seems to be abundant work for then
to do in picking cotton on Hilton Hea
Island, which our troops have occupied, an
it is to be hoped that their services will be i
some way turned to account for this purpose
Acres of it, already white for the harves
! were found within less than mile of Fol
Walker, and will be lost unless speedily al
| tended to.
Several buildings filed with unginned co.
ton were also found further back toWar
Skull Greek, and on the islands beyond this
stream similar deposits could be seen. !
: heavy smoke which was seen at a distanc
y the negroes reported to come from q lot {
= cotton which had been fred by the retreatin
rebels.
For some reason the negroes appeared 6
y first inclined to wait until they were calle
! for before making their appearance, but th
= few who were dismissed on the first da
= spread the report that the Yankees were il
- - deed close at hand, and the next morning
: number came in from the mainland, whel
: tbtir masters had retreated, making the
y escapea night in canoe. The reports mu
: have spread as far up as Beaufort in an a
- tonishingly short space of time, for when OF
boats went up there the negroes were read
!. to greet them.
y By that singular sort of free-masoni
which seems to be established among Il
negroes, the report will speedily spread fro
one end of the South to the other, and b
fore the SHOWS of December shall have viii
e ened the plains of the North, even in dista
It Texas the story of our appearance will ha'
b Travelled, distorted by thousand exagger
j. tions, to excite the eager hopes of those wi
L are watching and waiting so patiently
It the deliverance which is so near at hand.
= SLAVES OF ALL ooLoRs.
% Another correspondent says
i. As soon as the negro slaves observed
If coming on shore they hocked along Il
h banks in great numbers, some bearing pa
et cells and bundles, as if expecting us to Ia
10 them at once to home of freedom. Eve
ir variety of negro and slave was represente
81 l say negro and slave, for it is a melaneho
fact that some slaves are apparently as viii
as their masters, and as intelligent. Dark
X of genuine Congo physiques, and darkies
= the genuine Uncle Tom pattern; dark
!, young and jubilant, darkies middle-aged a
Vi eager, and gray-haired, solemn-looking
70 lows. Some appeared mystifed and soI
O. intelligent. The quadroon and octoroC
y possessing an undistinguishable tint of neg
le blood, mingled one drop with seven of Sou
Sn ern nativity and ancient family, formed,
~ speak mildly, an interesting scene.
g. AS fast as tina contraband article ca
within reach it was placed in the qua
IT, house, an old frame building behind F.
~ Walker Here quite collection was ma