Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-10-31
EXPERIENCES AMONG THE CONTRA
BANDS.
The Slaves Mt Fortress Monroe -Sketehes
Of Their Character and Habits.

sachusetts soldiers who served in the three
months campaign under General Butler,
contributes to the November number of the
Atlantic Monthly On interesting article on
the Contrabands at Fortress Monroe" Mr..
Pierce was assigned to the exclusive con-
troll and supervision Of the negroes, direct
ing their hours of labor and their rests,
without interference from any one and
hence enjoyed peculiar facilities for OBJ
serving their habits and arriving at just
conclusions in regard to their condition. He
shows us that the slaves are not imbruted
savages, but an intelligent and docile race
"uuite equal" he says to the mass of the
Southern population" if not so thrifty and
practical as the Yankees.
We copy few passages from Mr.. Pierces
excellent narrative:
CoNTRABANDs As woRKMEN
The contrabands worked we'll, and in no
instance was it found necessary for the su-
perintendents to urge them. There was a
public opinion among them against idle
ness, which answered for discipline. Some
days they worked with our soldiers, and it
was found that they did more work, and
did the nicer parts-the facings and Dress
ings-better. Colonels Packard and Ward
rop, under whose direction the breastworks
were constructed, and General Butler, who
visited them, expressed satisfaction at the
work which the contrabands had done. On
the 18th of July Mr.. Russell, of the London
Times, and DR.. Bellows, of the Sanitary
Commission, came to Hampton and mani
Tested much interest at the success of the
experiment. The result was, indeed, pleas
ing. A subaltern officer, to whom l had in
sisted that the contrabands should be treated
with kindness, had sncered at the idea Of
applying philanthropic notions in time of
war. 1t was found then, as always, that
decent persons will accomplish more when
treated at least like human beings. The
same principle, if we will but credit our
own experience and Mr.. Rarey, too may
with advantage be extended to our relations
with the beasts that serve us.
MORALITY OF THE NEGROES.
There was one striking feature in the
contrabands which must not be omitted. l
did not hear profane or vulgar word
spoken by them during my superintendence,
q remark which it will be difficult to make
of any sixty-four white men taken together
anywhere in our army. Indeed, the greatest
discomfort of q soldier, who desires to re-
main gentleman in the camp is the per-
petual reiteration of language which no de-
cent lips would utter in a sisters presence.
But the negroes, so dOgmatically pro-
nounced unfit for freedom, were in this re-
spect models for those who make high
boasts of civility of manners and Christian
culture. Out of the sixty-four who worked
for us, all but half a dozen were members
of the church, generally the Baptist. AL
though without pastor, they held religious
meetings on the Sundays which we passed
-. -. III
sixty colored persons and three hundred
soldiers. The devotions were decorously
conducted, batting some loud shouting by
one or two excitable brethren, which the
better sense of the rest could not suppress.
Their prayers and exhortations were fer
vent, and marked by a simplicity which is
lot infrequently the richest eloquence. The
soldiers behaved with entire propriety, and
two exhorted them with pious JUNCTION, as
children of one Father, ransomed by the
same Redeemer.
MASTERS AND SLAVES.
During our encampment at Hampton
occupied much of my leisure time in con-
versations with the contrabands, both at
their work and in their shanties, endeavor-
ing to collect their currents of thought and
feeling. 1t remains for me to give the re-
suits, so far as any could be arrived at.
There were more negroes of unmixed Af-
rican blood than we expected to find. But
many were entirely bleached. One man,
working on the breastworks, owned by his
cousin, whose name he bore, was no darker
than white laborers exposed by their occu-
patton to the sun, and could not be dis
tinguished as of negro descent. Opposite
our quarters was young slave woman who
haI tbrao tipnac n rvifhnuf
having been a wife. You could not discern
in her three daughters either in color, feat
ure or texture of hair, the slightest trace of
African lineage. They were as light-faced
and fair-haired as the Saxon slaves whom
the Roman Pontiff, Gregory the Great met
in the market of Rome. If they were to be
brought here and their pedigree concealed,
they could readily mingle with our pOpula-
tion and marry white men, who would never
suspect that they were not pure Caucasians.
From the best knowledge | could obtain
the negroes in Hampton had been rarely Sc
verely whipped A locust tree in front of
the Jail had been used as a whipping-post,
and they were very desirous that it should
be cut down. 1t was used, however, only
for what are known there as fragrant of
fenses, like running away. Their masters
when in ill-temper, had used rough language
and inflicted chance blows, but no one ever
told me that he had suffered from systematic
cruelty, or been severely whipped, except
Joe, whose character have given. Many
of them bore testimony to the great kindness
of their masters and mistresses.
SEPARATION OF FAMILIES.
Separations offamilies had been frequent.
Of this l obtained definite knowledge.
When l was registering the number of de-
pendents, preparatory to the requisition for
Tations, the answer occasionally was, h" Yes,
/ have a wife, but she is not here"
"Where is she 2" "She was sold off two
years ago, and have not heard of her
since.n The husband of the woman who
took care of the quarters of General Pierce
had been sold away from her some years
before. Such separations are regarded as
death, and the slaves remarry. In some
cases the bereft one-so an intelligent ne
gro assured me-pines under his bereave,
ment and loses his value; but so elastic is
human nature that this did not appear to be
generally the case.
THEIR DESIRE FOR FREEDOM.
There is a universal desire among tn,
slaves TO be free. Upon this point my in
quiries were particular, and always will
the same result. When we said to them
"You don't want to be free-your master
say you don't"-they manifested much in
dignation, answering, awe do want to b
iree-we want to be for ourselves" w