The daily Gate City., 1861-11-12
From the Chicago Tribune


The disastrous termination of the Cairo
expedition to Columbus, is another severe
lesson on the management of this contest
with the rebels Our troops have suffered
bad defeat Hundreds of men have
been killed and wounded, and other hun
dreds taken prisoners. The loss Of the
enemy is far lighter than ours. The OBJ
ject of the expedition was not attained.
The rebels have been elated and embold-
ened while our troops have been depressed
if not discouraged.
The section of country where the battle
was fought is intensely secession, and is
densely populated with slaves. Kentucky
and Tennessee, west of the Tennessee
river, are the hotbeds of rebellion in those
States. and arc full of slaves. Those slaves
are all loyal at heart, and hate the seces-
sionists. Every man of them lit to bear
arms would gladly volunteer to shoulder a
musket, WELD an axe, or handle a spade in
the service of Uncle Sam From April
last until now they have been working for
the rebels, raising crops, and doing drudge
ry for their troops Our officers have
steadily refused to avail themselves Of the
help of these loyal people They made
their own men dig bitches. wheel dirt up
embankments, hew down forests and per-
form a vast amount Of other severe labor, in
an unhealthy climate, under a blazing sun
They have filled their hospitals with sick
and dying soldiers. The diseases and
deaths were mainly caused by hardship
and exposure, which the employment of
" contrabands " would have avoided -
Had the policy and istructions Of the War
Department to Gen Sherman been adopt
ed, and had our officers availed them
selves of the services Of the thousands
of q contrabands who would have
offered, affairs would wear very different
face at Cairo, Columbus and Memphis
The whole slave population of that sec
ton of country would be in state OF
insubordination against the secessionists.
Half Of those from that region, now in
the rcbsl army would have been obliged
to remain ut home to keep their slaves
quiet, or to work their plantations them.
selves, when the slaves had escaped
The adult contrabands would have run
off by scores and hundreds every night,
and never stopped until safely within our
lines. They would have conveyed mi
mute information concerning the force and
position of the rebel troops, and most OF
them would have brought along horse
or mule. These fugtives would have
cheerfully and gladly done whatever work
they were set at, whether it was building
Notifications, chopping trees, preparing
food, washing clothes, taking care OF
horses and mules, waiting on our soldiers,
or drilling under white officers, who might
have been promoted from the ranks OF
such command. BY this time Generals
Grant and McClernand could have had
10000 "contrabands" in their service as
laborers and fighters, who would handle a
spade or stop bullet as we'll as white
| man.
! Does it need more than thimbleful OF
brains to perceive the advantages that
would have followed the adoption of this
method Of dealing with the rebels Does
any reasonable, candid man, doubt that
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arms, and series Of disasters befal the
rebels Had this policy been pursued
the defeat at Belmont would never have
occurred.
How long will our officers play into
the hands of the rebels. by allowing then
to make auxiliaries Of the colored class
How long will preserving slavery-the
cause of the rebelion--be made the para
mount object of our efforts, and Niger
catching one of the chief duties of oul
soldiers2 For just that long will the
rebels be able to hold our armies rt bay
and to infict defeat upon us. Adversely
is a hard school, but in no other will oul
rulers learn wisdom
4
Dky-"Compromise, word which car
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