Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-03-21
Colonel Doubleday and the slavery Ques.
tlanss.Tha FncIh % the Gaze.


Colonel Doubleday and the slavery Ques.
tlOR-.-Ths Facts 10 the Case.
FoRT sooTT, KANSAS, March 10, 'e2.
EDTroas LnApEn-In your Issue Of the
27th Of February, yOu have done Col. Doub-
leday great Injustice, in your remarks upon
an article copied from the Leavenworth Con-
ssrvativs You will not Intentionally do q
worthy officer a wrong therefore ask you
to correct Jour statements by publication
of the facts, which are these We went to
Platte City under the impression that the peo-
pie Of the place were villainous set Of reb-
els. We found upon our arrival that the inn
preston was erroneous; that, in fact the
people were worthy citizens who had been
sOured in their feelings by the representa-
tons of designing knAves that this was q
war upon the institutions of the South, got
ten, up by Northern abOlitionistE the only
lohlect Of which was the extinction Of sla-
very. We found also, that they had been
'dayhAwked," portion Of their city burned
70 expiats the sins ol some forty or fifty
worthless characters who had infested the
town. Upon learning these facts, Colonel
Doubleday and his officers endeavOred to
instill into the minds of the people that We
had not come to make war upon peaceable
citizens or their institutions; that it was a
war forced upon and not sought BY the
North. h
Within few days after our arrival an off,
Ger of the guard arrested three fugitive slaves
and brought them before Colonel Doubleday,
there appearing at the same time, the owners,
or their representatives, who claimed to be
Union men, and asked that they should be
released. They were released in order to
make good our professions, but Col. Double
day st once called his officers together and
instructed them that 1t was no part of the
business of the regiment to become slave
catchers; that although he had given instruc-
tons to permit 40 person to pass the guard
lines after given hour of the evening, yet,
as be understood the Dred Scott decision to
settle the question that slaves were not per-
sONs but property, and as ne had no right to
stop property on the highway, he should not
expect them to take up, or detain, any more
Of the opeeuliar Institution" No more
slaves were brought before him or detained
by any one under his command. At first,
before the facts were known, there was some
feeling shown by officers Of the regiment
among whom was the writer, but upon learn.
ing the true state Of the case universal ac-
quiescenoe on the part of the whole regi-
ment in the course pursued by Col Double
day, was expressed. The article in the
Leavenworth Conservative, it is believed by
all, was inserted BY some one actuated by
sinister motives.
This very day board of officers have been
convened by order of Gen. Hunter, to inves-
tigate charges brought by citizens of Platte
City against the officers and men of this
regiment for running of large aumber Of
slaves. Thus you see that while you are
charging Col. D. with being a slave.catchel
the Platte City people are charging him and
his officers with being slave-stealers.
r. Yours respectfully, Lot.