Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1862-11-15
GEN. mitchell ON CoNrRABANDs,
Letter trGm the General to Secretary
Chase,

sHKADoUARTERs DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH
HILTON HEAD, PoRr Royal. s. c.,
October Is, 1867.
Ny DEAR GOVERNOR: | received this
morning your two letters, the one by mail,
The other by Hon. Mr. Hutchings; aud
from their contents | derive hope end
courage. bad az interview this morn
Ing with General Saxton, which was en-
tirely satisfactory, and | think our personal
relations are all that could be desired
But l think, Governor, you are mistaken
when you say General Saxton Is To act
under my orders His letter of in>truc.
ton statee, in SO many words, that he Is
TO act under the orders OF the Secretary
of War. Ii he We're, indeed. under my
riders, | have az immeuee work for him
20 do, which | you'd commence without
an hours delay. I would begin the or
ganization of my plantation system. a
perfect census OF all the blacks inhabting
tie islands wonlt be promptly made. My
model plantation, with its fields, fences,
seeds, tilage, implt ments, houses, turni-
ture, &C., would be organized with as lit
Il delay as possible. would commence
the buildings. which will be required tor
the large accesslOns of population which
will certainly come to Us, when we break
through the enelny's line on the main land,
which we are determined to do / would
have all the blacks distinctly inform d rs
to the plan by which they were to be gov
erned, educated and made industrious and
worthy citizens uouM tell them that
the fruits Of their future toll could be
consecrated hereafter to their oaon benefit
to each family on the plantation | would
give separate dwelling, with patch for
their own private cultivation as a little
garden.
From estimates which | have careful
ly made, am quite certain that an indus
trious family OF three persons will certain
ly save from one hundred and fifty to two
hundred dollars each year. la five years
such a family will have laid up in he
Plantation Bank an amount efficient o
make them independent. Ard then with
industrious habits, with religious instruc.
lion, with correct moral views and seuti.
ments, with minds properly trained 10 self
dependence they may elect their own
homes If they SO choose, and begin the
world for themselves.
"On yesterday, which wa Sunday,
little church, built Tor the negroes, was
cunsecrated to the worship of Almighty
God. BY invitation from Abraham, the
black preacher, was present, and ad
dressed his congregation. [ have spoken
to the elite Of Boston, the solid, the
scientific and the literary men OF that
learned city have spoken to the fash
ioDable crowds of New York in The Acad
envy of Music; | have spo ken TO the rich
and proud citizens OF New Orleans {; | have
spoken to mutltudes in almost every state
ia the Union, but l do not think ever ad-
dressed a"y audience aohose p, essence touch
ed me more deepiy than the sable muit ,tude
to aO/aons l endearored to utter aoords OF en-
couragement and hope yesterday. And,
my dear Gov ernor, They are encouraged,
and they do hope; and | teel that it is
possible to CONVEX the officers aid 81 ldlers
from their III just and ungenerous pref u
dices, and to make them the firm, last,
81 mpathlz ng friends OF those unfortunate
backs. Already | find very great
change, and some OF my thinking officers.
who were most gloomy and most depend
ent when | first arrived, are now full of
cheerful hope.
| have decided to remove all the negio
antilles to the outside OF our lines To
accomplish this | have laid off beautiful
piece of ground fir ming upon the beach,
Into los Of hall an acre each. Upon
these lots we are already erecting our
buildings. | have at work gang OF fifty
negroes, with a black man as toremat,
with white superintendent. The work
Is perfectly systemauzed the houses OF
very simple structure; Their various parts
divided among gangs who work only on
these parts, One gang Is employed upon
the frames, in getting them out aud putung
them mp; another in putting up The sid
lDgs; no her IN splitting clap uOsrds Tor
Tie root; another IN putting on the roof.
Aud these fry hands now working earn
sStly and with high hope are actually
OHlldng "A house day.
. hope TO organic two or three more
bands o. fifty each, 50 that in q short time
We may he able to finish from twenty to
tweny five houses each week.
You give me reason to hope that rein
torcemen will not long be delayed. |
beg you 10 exer, all the influence you can
To push them forward IS rapidly a. posi-
bic. The troops now here are mary Of
tnem greatly debiltated by the climate;
and au expedition Of even few day., iu-
vol7ing toll, exposure aud fatigue, swells
the sick list TO an alarming degree.
have one regiment, the Ninety seventh
Penn6y lyania, who have just returned
from tour CT picket duty on this i-land,
whose sick list to day reaches two hundred
and thirty three. Another regiment, the
Seventh Connecticut, which has just re
turned from the st. Johns river expedi
ton, has q sick list of nearly two hundred.
I've weeks ago they left Hilton Head in
apparently excellent health and the finest
possible spirits. The expedition proved a
perfect success. We captured all the enc
my's heaIy guns, all his ammunition,
many small arms, and more than hundred
tents. We have captured his best steamer
on the river, and our troops penetrated in
to Florida more than two hundred and
thirty miles. We brought away on our
steamers between three and four hundred
negroes. Notwithsl AIDING this success
my troops have suffered very severely in
their health, demonstrating the fact that
they are sadly debilitated by the climate.
Il was on this account | urged the ex
change Ct these troops for others.
am certain there is great work TO
be done here | have rot thus far been
inactive. Since my arrival three expedi-
tions have been sent out with success and
three Others are already plsnned and will
soon be executed. But our force is too
small to strike successfully either Charles
ton or Savannah. We want twenty FIVE
ehoLsaLd additional troops, and anon
these | most earn sstly hope that the regl
ments OF my old division may be sent tor
ward
Your letters have inspired me with