The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1861-08-13
GENERAL BUTLER ON THE CONTRA.
BAND QUESTION,

partmcnt:
"HEApouARrEns DEPARTMENT OF VIReINAl
FORTRESS MONROE, July 30, 1861.
"IIoN. SIMON CAMEEo., SECRETARY OF
! WAR-!Sir. By an order received on the NOR
ming Of the 26th July from Major General
Dix, by telegraphic order from Lieutenant
General Scott, was commanded TO Onward
OF tho troops Of this depaltmcut, four regi-
ments and half, including Colonel Bakers
California Regiment, to Washington via Bati-
moro. This order reached me Mt O'Clock
A. NJ by special bopt from Baltimore. Be.
lieving that it emanated because ofsome press
ing exigency for the defense Of Washington,
/ issued my orde's before daybreak for tho
embarkaiion of the troops, sending those who
were among tho very best regiments | had.
Ia the course Of the following day they wero
all embarked for Baltimore. with the exrec.
ton Of some 400, for whom ] had not trans
rortation, although I had all the transport
! force in the hands of the Quartermas,er here,
TO aid the Bay line Of steamers, which, BIZ
the samo order from the Lieutenant General
was directed to furnish tran 'portaton. Up to
and at the time Of the order | had been pre-.
pairing for an advance movement by which ]
hoped to cripple tho resources Of the enemy
at Yorktown, and especially by scizing large
quantity of negroes who were being passed in
! TO their service in building the entertainments
there. | had five days previously been ena.
! hled to mount for the first time, the first
Company Of Light Artillery, which l had
been empowered TO raise, ard they had but a
single riiled cannon, an iron six FOUNDER. OF
course everything must and did yield to the
/ ii bn
dcrng away the troops from this department
while il weakened the posts at Newport News,
/ n 'cesstated the withdrawal Of the troops from
HAMPTON, Ihere 1 was thsn throwing up en-
/ ucncEed works to enable me to hold the town
with a small force while I advanced up the
York or James river. In the village of Hamp.
ton there were q large number Of negroes,
composed in n great measure of women and
children Of tho men who La fl'd thithcr with
in my ln'S for protection, who had escaped
from marauding parties Of rebels who had
been gathering mp bodied blacks To aid them
in constructing their batteries on James and
| York rlver. | had employed the men in
I Hampton in throwing up entertainments and
they were working zcalou'ly and efficiently al
that duty, saving our soldiers from that labor
under the Cleam Of the mid day sun. The
women were earning substantially their own
subsistence in washing, marketing, and taking
care Gf :he clothes of the soldiers, AN rations
were being served out To- the men who work
ed for the support Of the children. Bnt by
the evacuation of Hampton. rendered necess-
any by the withdrawal Of troops, leaving me
scarcely 1000 men outside the Foit, incul
lug the forco at Newport News, all these
black people were obliged to break up their
homes at Hampton, facing across the creek
within my lines for protection and support
Indeed it was most distressing sight, to see
these poor creatures, who had trusted to the
protection of the arms of the United States,
anl who ha! aided the troops Of the United
states in their enterprise, to be thus obliged
ia flee from their homes, and the homes of
ih'ir masters, who had deserted them, and
become not fugitiycs from fear of the return
Of the rebel sodicrv, who had threatened to
ohoo, the men who had wr ught for us, and
t. carry off the women who had served us to
worse than Egyptian bondage. | have
therefore now within the Peninsula, this side
of Hampton Creek, 900 negroes. 800 of
whom are able bodied men, 30 of whom are
men substantially past hard labor, l75 women,
PCS children under the age of 10 years, and
10 between 10 and Is years, and many
more coming in. The questions which this
state of facts present are very embarrassing:
sFirst-What shall he done with thcn'
SecJad-What is their state and condi
tionl
Upon these questions desire the nstruc
tonS of The Department.
"The first question, however, may perhaps
be answered 10y considering the last. Are
! these men, women and children slaves? Are
! they free Is their condition that Of mon,
women and children, or property, or is it a
mixed rcIation9 What their status was un-
der the Constitution and Laws, we all know.
What has been the effect of rebellion and a
state of war upon that status? When | ad-
opted the theory of treating the able bodied
negro fit 10 work in the trenches, as property
Liable to be used in aid Of rebel on, and so
contraband Of war, that condition of things
was in SO far met as | then and still blieve on
legal and constitutional basis. But now a
new series of question arise. Passing by wo.
men, the chillren certainly cannot be treated
on that basis; ifproperty. they must be con-
sioercd tho ncumbrance, rather the aux.
iary of an army, and of course, in no posi-
Dlt ltLd itluIlpu tOul't 10 bI''I'' ~ N'''''
band. Are they propcrtyl If they were SO,
they have been left b, their masters and own
ers, deserted, thrown away, abandoned, like
, the wrecked vessel upon the ocean. Their
former posscssors aud owners have carelessly
: r,b,iously, and to carry out ,he figure rrlt
calv abandoned them to be swallowed mp 10y
. the Winter storm Of starvation. II property,
do they not become the property Of the sal
vors2 But we, their salvors, DO not need and
: will not hold such property aud will assume
, no such cwn-r,hp; has not therefore all pro
. prie,ary relation cnascll Have they not he
come thereupou men, women and children
No longer under ownership of any kind, tho
fear iu relicts Of fugitive masters, have they
r not hy their masters acts AMI the state of war
e assumed the condition winch wc hold to b.
the normal one, Of those mad in Gods i'm
; agel Is not every con titutional, legal AN.
+ moral requirement, IA well to the runaway
! master rs their rclinquishcd slaves, this an
r sworcd! confess that my own min Is com
e PEELED by this reasoning to look upon th'u
as men and women. IL not free born. ""
free, manumitted, sent forth from the Ian,
that hell than never TO be reclaimed