, 1862-08-09

4
sMALL TIE NEGROES BE ARMEDs
Letter from IN 4fnsv 0J7oer to Secretary Has-
ton-F1oposdls to raise Negro Brtgads-1Ae
Force to Be Separate from WaaS Soldiers !
Al tcAo Enlist to be FIRE. HA<zt thu Troops !,
ore Expected to Accomplish /,
The Philadelphia Emning Ba1letta publiahes
The following letter. which was recently sd
dressed to the secretary Of war BY sn officer
Of the army: II
July IS. 1861 +
To Edwin n. Stanton, Secretary ofWar:
Err: Congress, by recent act, having autaor-
led the president 10 s'emp1oy 50 many persons
of African descent as he may deem necessary
and proper for the suppression Of this rebel
lion, and for this purpose organize and use
them In such manner as be may Judge best
nation being now almost unanimous In favor
Of employing every element Of WAT which. God t.
Almighty has placed at the disposal Of the |
government In the eubduiDg OF the rebels,
beg leave, most respectfully. to submit for
you will relieve me from duty IS s--t
-o Of this --, with orders to report d.
rect to your department, and will then give
me the necessary orders and authority, will, |
within sixty. If not within thirty daya. raise,
equip, and put In the field q brigade Of young
able-bOdied, actlve, lntel1igena men Of African
descent, for service under the direction Of the |
president
Following the Recommendation OF Gen. Au- !
drew Jackson, in the famous proclamation Of |
1914 TO the free colore1 men OF Louisiana, T |
would respectfully suggest that all The com.
manding officers be selected from among the !
white men Of acknowledged military expe-
tlence, whilst the non-commissioned officers
should be selected from the most Intelligent
Of the cn1ored priv2tea-
In making this proposition would beg leaTe
to etipulate:
F15t-That the brigade, when organized, be
kept separate and distinct from all other CON-
! 1nands OF the army, until such tine as addi-
| tional b51gades Of colored men could be raised
| with whom they could be united in divisions
and corps. The prejudice OF color which per-
| vades the minds Of many would make this
an opportunity to show by their de<ds that
they are worthy co-lahorers In the great work
| Of restoring the Union.
second- would s1ipnlate that the brigade,
when organized, should be landed at some
point on the Southern coast (within the dis
! trict of Gen. Hunter, # you p1ease} with the
I permission to march direct to Vicksbnrg;
from thence to Richmond from thence to
Savannah and MISUNDERSTANDING to its
numbers In the march all able-bodied, loyal
men Of color who may choose to join it's
standard; and to all who thus join the COM
mand the boon Of freedom be offered, and
guaranteed, from and after the moment Of
gade (inc1udirg Of course proper proportion
Of cavalry aud artillery should expect to
reach Vicksburg with not less than 1000;
: Richmond with not less than $4,000: Charles
!: 15G eco able-bodied, we'll disciplined troops.
In yiew OF the difficulties which Union
troops have had to contend with heretofore in
, their progress through the eEemy's country,
: may, at first thought seem ehimerical; but . !
, little reflection, think, will satisfy you that
, it is possible and more than probable. ALI, OF
I nearly eli OF the enemy's available force IL
already gathered at the points named, 1eavins
, their inland routes almost wholly nnobstrucr,
= ed. With Union nrmie' already MANAGING
: them at eseh Of these points, it il hardly pos
sib1e that the rebels, would leave either ol
s their fortified stropgholds 70 pursue troops OF
J, the march; but eTen if they did, then Fl
0 the Union troops pursuing, and haTing the enc
8 my between US, We should certainly crusl
r | him. The enemy has no interior force-z
, least not sufficient to impede our march fos
= single day, and Of course We should start from
l. point, and march by route not already for
J titled or obstructed BY the enemy. Beside
le this our standard Of freedom woull soon 3.
tract to us 9 large number, aud those ~h
E. came would know go thoroughly the face an
ID RESOURCES Of the country through which "
:, we're passing, that 10 force which the enem
y could bring against us could stay our marc
ID longer than sufficient to fight battle an
c. give the command forward Arriving at c
=, near the places named We 3ould at once ce
IN IN conqueriDg the enemy; and then p1ocee
to the next, weakening the enemy at
OF strengthening ourselves at every onHar
LII step.
it Thisd-1 would stlpu1ate that none b,
e such as have full faith in the patriotism an
d capabllity OF she colored man; and wh
d, reljgiou+]y believe Ia the right Of all men
DC 's1ie, liberty, and the pursuit Of happiness,
should be appointed to any command
er position IN this brigade, Tie propriety
," TO enforcc.it. With officers and men slim
ne lated to action by such Incentives, thif
ed The brigade might safely inscrioe upon
RS banner the word" Inyincible u
NJ In our march through the eEeuly's count
to we should need but aj.tls transportation e
IF. cept for arme aud annuoltion, as the regit
ug through which We should paes is abundant
oN- able 10 furnish subsistence. and should S
al, that it vas dune promptly and il snf1lcie
n quantity.
RS. AS you may readily infer from this pEopo
OF ticn, am one Of lhose who believe in t
as pa:tiotism and capabilities of the color
ier man; and at time like the present, VII
ere the need Of more troops is 60 imperatis
,il WHEN the bones Of hundreds, yea, of the
all | sands Of our white fellow citizens are SC
his tered over the rehel:ious States, and
his tleediHg hearts Of thousands Of fathe
10 mothers, sisters aud brothers are be5egchi
IN. The government to make use Of the me:
ave which God and nature points ont is the Ill
be certain ara e&pedititus for eubd1ing
der rebels; when tens Of Thousands Of log
'tiy liberty loving, patriotic colored men Of !
nat South arc spraying for adnis sion IL
ned onr ranks, only asking In return tie
for their liberty; aad when every such
l1n- enlistment would weaken the enemy to I
by exact extent it strengthened us, itsecms to
I'VE plain that this proposition ought not to be
The ]ected. The rebels make nse-eompuls'
use-of colored men to dir trenches to bu
ou tortifcations, light In their ranks and turn
ser supplies to their army. Why should not
the when the way is so clear, deprive them oftt
The use, and divert their willing hearts and str
Shis arms to our own national aGvau:age9
4 co.ored brigade, raised here in the Nor
a1e and starting at given point on the south
OF coast, would be an attractive, irresistible
will c'eas around which the brave, lbertY-loV
its co,ored men Of the South could and NO
lu1y rally, until their numbers and determln1'i III
would overcome MI opposition to their
inns ward march tor freedom aud the Union.
di~ Alexander q. Stevens, the ylce-preslden
arc the sc-called ''Southern co1federaey,h hay
tica- publicly and officially declared that SLAYER
cor the t'curntr stoue" Of their organic ition
J for woD1d be the special object of lis comm
gsd. to remove said "eoT1er stone" from t
isdi government editice, believing. SIS re do,
be 50 snon us it is removed, the brave arsnie
'hen Of Mcclellan, Pope, Hunter, and Others. CT
Iudi and would speedily demolish what remain
we'd. the rel eilione edihce. This comm md, II
SET for:, when organized, would bava called
up "Co7ner Stone Brigade"
'thcr AS to discipline, h.ve no manner Of d.
con- that the colored rice is Just as capable
aim, as the white raee; and As q guarantee tha
anI act Inconsistent with honorable wa
"a he should be committed by than,
1 an would willingly pledge my personal
the Official lolor, and that of all tine oticers
might he associated With me, I offer
cir | gu rantee the more caesrfuus because ali
St be 1or5 atres.s that, as soldiers, the colored
5 re- have always proved themselves not
it is lrayc aud chiyalrous, but specially obcf
with l. TO the orders OF their superiors. In the
Of TITO and 1912 they fought side by side
JURY CUR best disciplined troops, and not s.
Il OF inz tance is giren to show that they ever
p3y- .a:ed to obey an order, or committed en-
pay I unworthy Of e soldier.
cs Of Hoping an early and favorable respon
+ tue | have the hor or to be,
c, TO Very respectfully, your obedient Eer
aud
ser -.----.-.--