The Council Bluffs nonpareil., 1861-11-16
THE CoNTHABASps At FORTRESS
MONROE.

We take the following extract from an
article under the above heading, in the Al
taHtic Monthly for November. The village
Of Hampton, Va. after being deserted By
the rebels, was occupied as IN out. post BY
General Butler. of the employment of
the contrabanis upon the works at this post,
| the writer remarks:
II was necessary for the protection Of the
post that snmr breastworks should br..thrusn
up, and line was planned extending from
the old cemetery nprthward to the new one,
a quarter of mile distant. Our troops
were Glsincliued To tho labor, their time be-
my nearly cxptrcd, stad thes claimng that
| Ihey had done their share Of fatigue duty
/ opsh AT the fort and at Newport News. A
member oG BrIgadtrr General Plcrce's stuff
ian efficient officer and II humaue gentle
man suggested the employment of the
contrabluds aud the furnishing OF them
with ratioDs, an expeIirnt best for thrm aud
agreeable u Us. IL " once dictated n tel
cgram 20 General Butler in these worfs -
shall we put tho cpntrnbandS Il work on
the intrenchments, and will you turui them
with ratIuns!' An Affirmative ans wer VAS
promptly received on Monday morning, July
sth, aud that was the frat dav in the course
OF thc war IN which the negro was employed
upon the military works of our army. IL
therefore marks II distinct epoch in Its pro-
gre>s and IN lts relations TO the coloied
population. The writer and hencefor,h
nts narrative mast indulge in the frequent
| use II the first pcrson-was specially de-
tailed from his post rs private IN Company
l. Of the Third Regiment TO collect the con
trabands, record their names, age, and the
names of their masters, provide their tools,
superintend their labor, and procure their
rations. My comrades smiied, as under
took the novel duty. enjoying the Specialize
of Massachusetts, Republican converted
into Virginia slave tster. To me II
seemed rather an opportunity TO lead them
from the house of bondage never TO return.
For, Whatever may be the general duty OF
this race, to all such IA We have IN any way
employed 10 aid our armies our national
faith and our personal honor are pledged.
The code of IA gentleman. to say nothing of
b. CHER law of recfitude, necessIatcs pro-
trc'ian 20 this extent. Abandoning one OF
these faithful allies, who, if delivered up,
wnuid he re3uend Ia severer servitude be-
curse Of the iucaion the had received and
thF'sarvices he had performed, probably to,
be- trans ported to the remotesE slave regio"
~ now too dangerous To remain near us
hnrders, we should be accurssd am 'ng the
nations nf the earth. felt assnr"o tha'
from that hour. what's the fortunes 81
the war, every one of those enrolled u'-
frn,ters Of the Union had viudiested beyond
all future question, for himself, bis wife,
and their issue, a title TO American cHtzrn'
ship. and become heir 20 MI the lmmunlties
uf Magma charte. the Declaration OF tnde-
pcudcpee, aud the Constitution oil the Ialteu
States. :.
Pasang through the principal streets
talI the rnnfrnbands that when they heard
the court hnus hell, which waasd rIrg soon,
| they must go 10 the court house y"ra,~hif
communication would be made 10 theh.
| In the msautIme secured the valuable SER
vices of spme feiIav-privates. one tor
auartermastpr, two others ta aid IN super
intending at the trenches, and the orderly
sergeant Of nv own company, whose expert
ness IN the drill was equallei Only ey ais
general good sense and business capacity.
! Upnn the ringing of the bell, about forty
| cantrabnnds came to the ward. A second
! exploration added to the number some
/ twenty or more, who had Dot heard the or
/ isinai summons. They then came into The
/ baili NJ, where they we're called To order
+ and addressed I had srgseai to judges and
/ iariss, ha, had never spoken to such audit
thrs before 70 a ceurs-rsem. told thcm
that calarej ren had been employed On the
/ hrsas,werks Of the Rebels, and we needed
their d,--and they would he required TO do
euly such labor as ~ ourselves had done,
that they should he treated kindly. and
no ore should be obliged To work beyond
bis ,pac.;s, or If unweil,- aud that they
.haald be Ia raisae in day or t~o w'ih
fun soldiers rstions. told them thai their
masters had said ,hsv were an iniolens peo-
ple,-ihas did not helievt the charge,-
that vas going home to Massachusetts,
soon and shauld be glad 20 rspsrs that they
were a. Industrious "a the whites. They
senerslls .howsi no dsr'easure. some even
saving. that. not having dane much Tor
some t,ms, IL vas the best thing f,r them "a
be new employed. -Four or ave men over
ffv years old said sha, they suffered from
rhsuma,i.n, aud could nos work withoat
injury. Beias eonsrnsd By the by-ssfsd-
srs. shey were dismissed. Other old men
said shev would do What thrr ceuEi. and
thew we're assured thai no more woald be
required OF thsm. Tss Of them, prurIded
with a bucket and dirpsr, we're dssaslsd 10
carry wafer ell tbs ,sms slang shs isns o.
!abssess. I've ysanx uso isssset asa's