The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-04-26

dition Of aifsirs At the capital OF his own State.
In one Of the military camps in tho city Of Col.
umbus, are several hundred rebel prisoners OF
war. Some of them are attended BY colored
servants, claimed as slaves. These servants
have been transported ct Government expense,
fed, clothed, and doctored by the doyernmens !;
and willie the rebel officers arc allowed the free
dom Of the city upon parole. the servants are
strictly guarded and confined in camp by our
own soldiers. The free State of Ohio 10 virtual
" converted by the order or by the assent OF .
military commander, and against the wishes OF
the people, into slave State; and that order is
enforced BY men in our employment and under
our paw And this state of things does not ex-
list in Columbus alone. Much indignation was
felt and expressed in the State Of Illinois, where
the same practice was allowed to prevail among
the prisoners captured at Fort Donelson. The
greater part, if not all, Of these prisoners, who
had slaves attending them at the camp near
Chicago, we're transferred soon after arriving
there, the Government paying the cost OF trans
porting both whites and blacks. Whether this
transfer was prompted by knowledge OF the
popular indignation that had been excited, and
fear lest the tenure by which the prisoners
held them as slaves was hourly becoming
more ard more insecure, will not undertake
to say.
How long, think you, will this method Of
dealing with the rebels be endured by the free
men OF this country Are our brothers and
sons to be confined within the walls of the to-
bacco warehouses and jails of Richmond and
Charleston, obliged to perform the most mental
Offices, subsisted upon the most stinted diet,
their lives endangered if they attempt to obtain
breath of fresh air, or beam OF Gods sun
light at a window, while the rebels captured by
those very men are permitted to go at large
upon parole, to be pampered with Injuries, to
be attended by slaves, and the slaves guarded
from escape by our own soldiers? Well might
the General Assembly of the State of Ohio ask
in the language of Committee of their Senate !:
Why were these slaves taken at all ? They
were not, ard had not been in arms against the
presence at Fort DOnelson
was not even voluntary Why are they retained
in prison? They have done no wropg-they
deserve no punishment. Is it to furnish rebel
officers with servants And was Il for this they
were transported at the expense of the Govern
ment and are now subsisted at her costs Is our
constitutional provision thus to be made null
ity, and elavery practically established in Ohio
And this under the protection and at the OK.
pense Of the Federal Government"
Mr.. McDougall. Will the Senator allow me
Mr.. Grimes. Yes, sir.
Mr. McDougall. Was it stated that the
slaves of Tennessee were kept as prisoners of
war in Ohio9 Ibid not understand you SO to
state it.
Mr. Sherman. Slaves were captured at Fort
Donelson, brought to Ohio, and put in the same
prison with their masters, and kept there.
Mr.. McDougall. And held as prisoners
Mr. Sherman. Held there and rendered me
NAL service to those officers
Mr.. McDougall. understood you to state
that they waited on their masters but did not
understand you to state that they were held by
the Government Of the United States.
Mr.. Sherman. They were held BY the Gov
eminent Of the United States, and draw rations
now, and are supported by the Government of
the United States. will state for the benefit
of my friend that have here letter from the
chairman of the committee of the Senate who
made that report.
Mr.. Grimes. The Senator will permit me to
go on, ahd it can be read afterwards
Mr.. Sherman. Certainly.
Mr. Grimes. In the month of February last,
On officer of the third regiment of Iowa infan-
try, stationed at small town in Missouri, sue.
ceeded in capturing several rebel bridge-burn.
ers, and some recruiting officers belonging to
Juelr
capture was furnished by two or three remarka-
bly, shrewd and intelligent slaves, claimed by a
Lieut.. Col. in the rebel army Shortly after.
ward the master dispatched an agent, with IN
etructiOns to seize the slaves and convex them
within the rebel lines, whereupon the Iowa Off
Ger himself seized them and reported the cir.
cumstances to headquarters. The slaves soon
understanding the full import of Gen. Halleck's
celebrated order No. B, two of them attempted
an escape. This was regarded as an unpardcn.
able sin. The Iowa officer was Immediately
placed under arrest, and detachment of the
Missouri State militia--men in the nav of this
Government and under the command of Gen.
Haiieck-were sent in pursuit of the fugitiyes.
The hunt was successful The slaves were can
tured and returned to their traitor master. but
not until one Of them had been shot by order of
the soldier in command of the pursuing party,
Mr. President, how long shall we permit such
conduct as this to go unrebukeds Does any one
suppose that the people will quietly submit to
the imposition of taxes to support a State mill.
tia in the field that is to be employed in the
capture OF slaves for the benefit of officers of
the rebel army? Is it supposed that the Sena.
tors from Iowa will silently, patiently permit
the gallant officers from that State to be out.
ragged in the manner have described
1t is quite time, Mr.. President, that some
definite policy should be established for the
treatment OF escaped slaves; and am of the
opinion that Congress has been grossly derelict
IN permitting the evil to 60 so long unreguated
and unchecked. We have almost as many Iii.
verse systems OF dealing With this class of per-
sons as we have military departments In one
military district fugitive slaves have been pur.
SUED, logged, and returned to their masters by
our army in another they have been simply
pursued yyit
other they have been pursued and shot in the
attempt to return them in another they have
been termed "contrabapd," and received within
our lines in the mixed character of persons and
property. In the absence of any authoritative
declaration of Congress, none Of these modes
may be held to be in conflict wi b law other than
the law of common sense and common decency
1t is obvious that the article of war which
have quoted does not meet the case presented
by Major General Haeck in his order No. g.
That celebrated manifesto declares in substance
that ell persons from the enemy's country shall
be excluded from our lines. The plain purpose
of the order is to prohibit fugitive slaves from
escaping from the rebe)ous districts, and there
by securing their freedom 1t was doubtless
competent for Gen. Hsleck to issue such an or
der, aud 1t IS equally competent for Congress,
which has made and continues to make articles
OF war for the government of the Army and
Navy, to conntermand it. And, sir, 1t ought to
be countermanded l will not pause to discuss
the humanitarian features of the question.
Public policy, no less than popular feeling, de-
mands that order No. be forever erased
There never was a war waged in the history of
the world where the means of acquiring infor-
nation Of the enemy's position and numbers
from people in his own midst was more ample
than here, and there never was one where the
commanding officers have suffered more from
lack of such information. Order No. propo-
ses to incorporate the futuity and blindness
which remained uuwritten in other military de-
partments into historical record and a public
advertisement. 1t proposes to warn ali per-
sons against bringing information of the enc
my's movements to our camps under penalty of
being turned back to receive such punishment
as the enemy may choose to inflict for betraying
them, or for running away and betraying com.
bined. No organization of secret service can |
meet all the requirements of an army operating |
in an enemy's country, unless aided by some |
portion of the inhabitants of the country
What folly, then, to wall out and repel the very |
who might bring US the information |
we most need, and who have everywhere shown |
an eagerness to do so!