Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1861-08-07
Gen. Batler on the UOHtrabnnd QuestIon


A N. by special boat from Baltimore. Be
lieving that It emanated because ofsOme
pressing exigency for tine defense of Wash.
inrtOu, I issued my orders before dayb-eak
for the embarkation OF the troops, sending
those who were among the very best Fegis
ments had. In the course Of the following
day they were all embasked for Baltimore,
with the exception Of some 400 for whom |
had not embarkation, although had sll the
transport forces in the hands Of the Qaarter-
master here, TO aid the Bay line OF steamers,
which, by the same order from the Lieuten4
ant-General, was direated to furnish trans |
portation. Up TO and at the same time Of |
the order had been preparing for an ad- |
vance movement by which hoped to Grip |
pie the resources of the enemy at Yorktown,
and especially by seizing a large quantity Of
negroes who were being pressed into their
service in building the eptrenohments there
| had Eve days previously been enabled to
mount for the frat time, The company Of
Light Artillery, which had been empow-
cred 20 raise, and they had but a single
rifed cannon, an iron six FOUNDER. OF
course everything must and did yield to the
exigency and the orders. This ordering
away the troops from this department while
it weakened the posts at Newport News, ne
cessitated the withdrawal of the troops from
Hampton, where | was then throwing up
entrenched works TO enable me to hold the
town with q small force, while advanced
! up the York or James river. In the village
of Hampton there were large number OF
negroes, composed in q great measure OF
women and children of the men who bad
1ed thither within my lines for protection,
who had escaped from maurSding parties OF
Rebels who had been gathering up abe bod
led blacks to aid them in constr lcting their
batteries on the James and York rivers.
/ | had employed the men in Hampton iu
throwing up intrenchments, and they were
working alously and efficiently at that
duty, saving our soldiers from that labor IN
der the CLEAN Of the mid-day sun. The wo
men were earning substantially their own
subsistence in washing, marketing, and
taking care of the clothes Of the soldiers, and
rctions were being served out 10 the men
who worked for the support Of the children.
But by the evacuation Of Hampton, rendered
necessary by the withdrawal Of troops, leay-
ing me scarce 5000 men outside The Fort
including the force at Newport News, all
these black people were obliged TO break up
their homes at Hampton, fleeing across the
creek within my lines for protection and
support Indeed il was a most distressing
| sight, to see these poor creatures, who bad
trusted to the protection of the arms of the
/ United States, and who aided the troops
Of the United States in their enterprise, 10
be thus obliged to fee from their homes, aud
the homes of their masters, who had desert
ed them, and become not fagitives from fear
OF the return of the rebel soldiery, wIo had
threatened to shoot the men who had
wrought for us, and 10 carry off the women,
who had served us to a worse than Egyp-
tian bondage. have therefore now within
| the Peninsula, this side of Hampton Greek,
/ geo negroes, 800 of whom are able-bodied
men, 30 Of whom are men substantially past
/ hard labor, l75 women, 225 children under
] the age of 10 years, aud 10 between 10 and
8 years, and many more coming in. The
questions which this state Of facts present
are very embarrassing.
Erst-Whst shall be done with them
and Sseofd, What is their state and cOndi-
| tion2
Upon these questions desire the instruc-
/ tons of the Department
The first question, however, may per-
riAN- AC aAAohGAN " NNAoAAIAA4E AAC -
Are these men, woEen, and children slaves2
Are they free? Is their condition that Of
men, women, and children, or of property,
or is It a mixed reIation2 What their status
was under the Constitution and laws, we
all know. What has been the effect of rebel
/ lion and a state of war upon that sfatus?-
/ When adopted the theory of treating the
/ able-bodied negro fit to work in the trenches,
as properly liable to be used in aid Of rebel
lion, and so contraband of war, that condi-
ton of things was in so far met, as then
and still believe, on a legal and constitution
/ al basis. But now a new series OF questions
arise. Passing by women, the children Ger
/ tainly eanuot be treated on that basis; il
property, they must be considered the in
eumbrauce, rather than the auxiliary of an
army, and, of course, in no possible legal re
lation, could be treated IS contraband. Are
they property If they were so, they have
been left by their mesters and owners, de-
serted, thrown away abandoned, like the
wrecked vessel upon the ocean. Their FORM
er possessor and owners have causelessly,
traitorously, rebelliOusly, and, to carry out
the figure, practically abandoned them to be
swallowed up by the winter storm of star
vstion. Hproperty, do they not become the
property of the savors ? but We, their SAL
vors, do not need and viii not hold such
property and will assume no such ownership;
has not therefore all proprietary relation
ceased2 Have they not become thereupon
men, women, and childIen2 No longer un-
der ownership of any kind, the fearful re-
licts Of fugitive masters, have they not by
their masters acts, and the state of war, as-
sumed the condition which we hold 10 be
the normal one of those made in Gods i'm
/ age. Is not every constitutional, legal, and
moral requirement. as well to the runaway
master as their relinguished slaves, thus
answered. l confess that my own mind is
compelled by this reasoning to look upon
them as men and women. If not free I'm.
/ yet free, manumitted sent forth from the
/ hand that held them never 10 be reclaimed.
"Of course if this reasoning thus imper-
fectly set forth is correct my duty as hu-
name man is very plain. | should take the
same care Of these men, Wo uen and child
ren, houseless, homeless, and unprovided
for, as | would Of the same number of men.
women, and children, who for their attack
ment to the Union had been driven or allow
ed to flee from the Confederate States.
should have no doubt on this question, had
not seen it stated, that an order had been
issued by Gen Mcdowell in his department,
substantially forbidding all fugitive slaves
from coming within his lines, or being har-
bored there. Is that order TO be enforced in
all Military Departments? If so, who are
70 be considered fugitive slaves? Is a slave
to be considered fugitive whose master runs
away and leaves him Is it forbidden TO
the troops to aid CT barbor within their lines
the negro children who are fouLd therein. or
is the soldier, when his march has DESTROYED
their means Of subsistence, to allow them 10
starve because he has driven off the Rebel
master y How shall the commander of reg
imeat or battalion sit in judgment upon the
question, whether any given black man has
fed from his master OF his master fed from
him Indeed, how are the free born to be
distinguished Is one any. more or less a
fugitive slaye because be has lAbored upon
the rebel intrenchments2 If he has so Ia