Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1861-12-26
Correspondence Of the New York Time
The Cotton at Port Royal.
ARRANGEMENTS FOR SECURING 1T.
HILTON HEAD, POM ROYAL, S. c., !
Thursday Dec 8 1851

nave to-uay the opportunity OF an
nouncing perhaps the most important
news that has been sent to the North
from South Carolina since the fall of
Sumter. am not sure that even the
capture Of Port Royal was more of an
event than the orders now issued to
Col. Mobiles, late of the New York
Sevcnty-ninth (Highlanders) regiment.
He is to pick, collect, pack and store
all the cotton on the deserted planta-
tions Of this vicinity. In this work
he will be assisted by the negroes,
who are to be paid for their services,
on proper vouchers the cotton is to
be turned over for shipment on return
vessels from this port, sent TO the Dep
uty Quartcrmaster General at New
York, aud by him sold on public ac-
count. 1t is needless, Of course, for
me to comment on this circumstance !;
it's results will reach beyond America.
Col. Mobiles, who resigned his COM
mand only day or two ago, is man
who has lived in Georgia and Florida,
and is familiar with the character Of
the black population, as well as with
the methods OF preparing cotton for
market, and is consequently better fit
ted for his task than many others
would be.
How much discretion and energy
will be required in the fulfillment OF
that task is obvious to all. He will
be escorted by sufficient number of
troops to secure his actions against
any attempt at interruption, and hopes
to be able very shortly to send from
here at least million dollars worth of
the precious material. The fact that
the rebels all along the coast have
been destroying their cotton and cot
ton.houses, has doubtless FASTENED the
action Of Gen. Sherman in this mat
ter for amid the multiplicity of pure
ly military cares imposed on that Of
ficer, considerations of political or
commercial necessity cannot seem of
paramount Importance. The cotton
lands in the neighborhood have been
pretty thoroughly explored by Col.
Mobiles, who thus knows exactly where
the largest quantities and finest quail
ties are stored. His appointment is
regarded thus far as an instance of sa-
gacity in more points than one. An
improper person for the post might de.
feat many Of the ends sought by the
authorities, and prove positively dis
advantageous to the Union cause. In
his command of the Seventy-ninth
Regiment, Col. Mobiles has strictly
restrained his men from depredations
on the private property deserted by
the planters their houses have re-
maincd unplundered, though, in some
instances, filled with costly furniture
and plate. The negroes have not
been encouraged to malign or traduce
their masters and, if the same wis
dom tempers his future proceedings as
has heretofore been exhibited, the
happiest result may be anticipated
| shall accompany him on some of his
excursions into the interior, and fur
nish some account Of what may there
fall beneath my observation.
The use of the negroes contempla-
ted by this proceeding is quite as i'm
portant as the mere fact of the pack
ing and storing, or even the shipment
OF cotton. Tho crowded populations /
Of the various plantations could hard
~ be expected to remain very long
quiesccnt /; they still come trooping
in, not, indeed, within our lines, but
far from the reach of their masters,
daily some have even reached here
from Savannah and Charleston, though
these are but struggling cases. But
in all the vicinity now exists this ano-
malous condition of affairs; slaves
neither free nor emancipated work
ing people with nothing to do, living
on the abandoned estates Of their for
mer masters, and between two hostile
forces. Of course. if we do not make
some movement either to occupy or
restrain them, they will become res.
tive. BY employing them at work
with which they are familiar, and al
SO paying them, this danger will be
lesscned if not obviated. Perhaps
what occurs here and now may even
suggest the solution Of the mighty
problem forced on the National Gov
ernmcnt--what to do with the entire
slave population when it is deserted
by its owners. As for emancipation,
there is not the slightest need to de-
clare that the rebels do it themselves
more effectually than ten thousand
Fremont proclamations they make
known their own weakness and at the
same time their own spite they burn
their cotton-houscs they refuse to
stay beneath the protection of pow
or whose might they yet confess by
their flight they fire on their slaves,
and otherwise endeavor, bu: in vain,
to enforce them to accompany them
they establish patrols, which the
blacks elude and at last give up in
despair, leaving the negroes, as well
as their property, subject to the ordi-
nary rules of war, or to be fairly COLI
fiscated, as the punishment of unsuc-
ccssful treason.
just so rapidly as Federal armies
advance on the soil Of South Carolina,
just SO rapidly do the planters eman-
cipatc their slaves. They cannot
blame us for using what they throw
away. We have thus far scrupulons-
ly refrained from turning on them, OK
cept negatively, the tremendous weap-
on but to neglect to avail ourselves
of such chance as now exists would
be supreme folly. Is it, then, not pos
sible to devise plan whereby all this
negro population, 30 fast as it falls
into our hands during the war, shall
be set to some work with which it is
familiar-work which can be made lu.
crative to the Government, and yet af-
ford sufficient reasons to pay the
blacks? So the frightful possibilities
of slave insurrection might be avoid
ed, and yet the rebels terribly shorn
of great element of their strength.
After some of the results of Col. No
bles' initiatory enterprise have been