, 1861-08-07
oHlCA GO, WEDNEspAYzzAUGUsT Z, 1851
GkN. BUTLER On Til1E CONTRA
=. BAND QUESTION. (:

eEN. BUTLER On n CONTRA
=. BAND QUESTION. =
-.--s::E: -.:-----5s::E: - f.
The .Confi.cation ..Aes-.Ho Slave. Of
KShe9s eAe.la se, eMx1nt es1t :4ss1s@ 3.sas,.
eetHhem Free ,s.- - /
The following interestipgzetter from Gen.
Butler has been received -at the War Depart
ment. It Will be read with gTeat Interest:
"uEADqrAa7Ess DEp4 HrnExT Or VRaMn}
FoKrREss MosRos, July 50. 1851. {
" Kos. SIMON CAxERos, SEoREt1nf OF WAn:
s1R; b N ord.r reeeigedSon the morning
OF !he 18th July from Maj Dig, BY
telegraphic order frc.a Lieutenant: + General
Scott, wns commanded to forward. Of the
troops Of this department; four regiments and
a hEl, including Col Baker,H Ealforaia Regf
ment, to Washington, ;11a Baltimore.
Ihls order reached me e tive O'clock
Up to and at the time. OF fhs, order. T had
beel Preparing for AZ advanced move nent BY
which heped to cripple the :resources Of the |
enemy at Yorktown, End especially by seiz ng
large quantity Of negroes Mho were being
1renehIaents there. This oEdering away the
troops from this defs7tmenti;+W i;+Whflc 1t weak |
ened the posts at Newport News, necessItated |
the Withdrawal of fhst1oops from Hampton, |
Where l vas then .hsowipg.up intrenched
small force, while advanced: up the York or |
james r:Ver. In the Village Of Hampton there
were 1aIge number OF negroes, composed In
great MEASURE of Wc1nea ind children Of
the men who had feii 3h1ther; within my lines
for prof ection, who Ia3 e!sapAd from maraud-
ing parties Of rebels -sho hal theaa gathaelng
up able bodied blacks to aid them in Construct
ing their batteries on the james ind York riy-
e1s. l bad employed the men In Hampton In
throwing up intrenehmeuts,: and they vera
we1king zealoufly and efficiently at that
Ger the CLEAN Of the midday sun. Tha women
were earning substantially their own auosist
eDce- III Faehing, marketing, and taking care
OF the clothes OF the soldiers and ratlons were
being served cut to The men who worked for
the support Of the ehiidren. zBnt by the evzc-
uatlon Of Hampton, rendered necessary By the
Withdrawal OF trocEs, leaving me scarcely
5000 men outside the Fort, Including the
fosce at Newport News, all tEese black people
were obliged to break up their homes ut
Hampton, fleeing Eercss the*creek within my
lines for protection and support. Indeed it
Mas most distressi5g sight,.t Eeet these poor
creatures, who had t:asted to.the protection Of
| 1he2ims Of the United States. and who aided the
!rotps Of the United States in their enter
| Lcmes and the hensea OF their masters, who
Ind deserted them, and bec1me hot fuggidycs
ncta fear OF the return Of the Rebel eoldiery,
| @no had threatened 70 shoot the men Who had
| "1ought for us, an9 10 carry off the women,
1 Who had served us, to worse thni1 Esy pttan
| Peninsula, this side Of Hampton Greek, 800 ne
gzoeE, 800 Of Thom; ;G1e ab1ttbodied men, 80 Of
/ ~Eom are men substantially past hard Labor,
lis women, 2225 children under the age Of ID
Years, and ITO between 10 and IL years, and
many more coming in. The questions which
ltik state Of FACTS present ne very enbarrass-
s.F7sst- What she1l be done with them and
Second, What is their state and condition?
! "Upon these QUESTIONS I desire the instsuc-
tions of the Department.
1.-The t1rrt Question, however, may perhaps
bs answered by considering the last Are
these men, women aud children slaves Are
they free? Is thsr condition that Of men,
women and children, Or Of property, or is ii
mixed relat1un ? What their status was un-
What has teen the effect Of -ebel!ion aad 8
state Ct war upan that status When
adopted the theory Of treating tae able bodied
negro fit to work IN the trenches. as property
liable to be used IL aid Of rebellion, and sc
contraband Of wsr,that condition Of things va.
in SO lar met as tasn and still believe, on lega
end constitutional basis. But now new sc
! ries Of question: arise. Passing by women
u the children ce1iainlY cs1lpt be tIeated OF
II that basis; if prcIsrty, they must be consid
N cred the incumbral ce rather tl:nn the auxil
= is'y Of an army, apd Of course, in no Possibl
81 Are they .p1opeEty2 If they were so, the,
: have been left b their masters and owners
deserted, thrown ss"ay, abandoned, Ike th
WRECKED vessel upon the OCEAN. Their form
er +pessesEors and owners, have causelesslJ
t1aitorously, rehsllious1y, and, to carry ou
; the fgnre, practically abandoned them +
. be swallowed up By the winter storm {
: starvation. II property, do they not b
eome the properly Of the salvorss but We
hod Sf SCI TaSd iii a51ne ana 10
ownership; has atherefnre all proprieta7
relation ceaseds Have they not become ther
upon men, women and children2 No longs
!. under ownership Of any kind, the fearfs
I. their masteTs' aete, and the state Of war, 4
Il 5umed the condition, which we hold to I
a the normal one, Of those made in Gods imag
: Is not every cGpstltutioua', legal and NOR
y their relinqniBh{a slaves, thus answered 2
I confess that my own mind is compelled t
i. this reasoning I'd lock upon them as men ar
- women. If not free born, yet free, manumi
tt+} ted, sent forth Eom tho hand that held the
g never to be reclaimed.
"Of course if this reasoning thus impe
g. fcctly set forth is correct, mJ duty as b
'e name man Is very plain, should take Il
" " same care Of tbtse mer, women and chi1dre
~ ~ house1ees, homeless and unprovided for, Is
- would Of the zane number Of men, women al
- children who for their attachment to the Unit
y ~ had been d1i7enor allowed to flee from the Co
~ ;ederate States. I should have no doubt or ii
question, had not seen it stated, that an ord
- = had teen issued by General Mcdowell in 1
~ department, substantially forbid ding 6 al fu
- i've slaves from coming within bis lines,
=, being hs1bo1ed there. Is that order to be
y. forced in ail Military Departments Il
~ %bo are to be considered might've slages?
=, - $ slave to be considered fugitive, whose N
~ ~ t rms aT1y and leaves him ? Ia it foEh
den TO the troops to aid Or harbor viii
tha therein, or Is the SOLDIER. when their maj
+: hss destroyed their means Of subsistence,
H. allow them to starve because he has driven
H. the rebel master ?
~ Now shall the commander Of regiment or /
s,e talon sit in judgment upon the questi
~ @2c1heraD given tlack man has 1sd ir
IT, Lis n akter, CT his master fled from hime
1iIY deed, how arc The freeborn to be distiug1i
~ Cd? Is enc aDy more er 1ess fugitive eE
,m ne hecsuse he has "labored upon tie rebel
=: Y de1stand it, he is to be har5ored. BIZ the
=; cep;ion of which, are the rebels most to
~ distressed, by taking these who have Hrou
V aii The, rebel masters desired, masked Il
u, ! battery, or those who refused to labor and
RI, :Ee battery unmaRked.'
q: isct Of this o1der.t It does net become MI
ito criticize it, and write in 10 spirit Of c1
H. cs=m, but simply to explain the full diff
rbt- | Les TINT surround the enforcing it. II the
T. foreement Of that order bec1mes the polio
1e7 he Government, l, as 5 soldier, shall Be bol
lar TO enforce it steadtastly, if not cheertu
Al Ent if left to my own discretion, as ron
the nave gathered from my reasoning, sh0
!ns, take widely different course from that vi
had it iriicates.
:shp "Iu q lcyal State would put down ser
lar insurrection. In q state Of rebellion I 1c
tus-. con1scate that which WAS used to eppose
su. a1ms, and take all that property, which col
ON tuted the wealth CT that State sad furnis
ks, the means BY which the war is prosecuted
>ad. | side being the cause OF the war and If,
pro- doing, It should be objected that human
cen I ipgs were brought to tha free enjoymer
on life, liberty ard the pursuit Of happt1
tho such objection might not require much
tue | slderaslon.
an- Il Pardon me for addressing the secEetsz
.ny, War directly upon this question, ~ II inVo
lou some political considerations as well as
are | pr1ety of military action.
at "I an ,sir, your cbzdlent servant,
:, 81 BENJAMIN F, BurLEE
By .-;. -------
ltse- Desperate Fight on tho St. Louis Ls
sss, There Was dreadful private fight this n
a., ;Dg between tEo hands employed OF or
tus ens+ the Government boats az the lsvee. The
= = ~ grew out Of a.veIbal quarrel on zone per-