Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1862-08-08
How the Slaves See IT.


One of the ablest and truest of the
army correspondent after giving cIear
and unaIiswerable ex xposure of the fol- {
lies, mistakes and sblunasra d ~ the
rebellion and save slavery, presents the
views of an intelligent negro or the sub
ject. The writer is samuel Wiikeson;
who is with Mcclellan on the James
River. We would publish the whole
letter, but for the fact tkatsit contains
some plain truths, better perhaps not
just now made public. He says:
/ have talked with many intelligent
men Of color on this subject. The su-
perior man of alI Is kh6nn as ssTom"
I one day drew him out of his guarded
silence on this theme by saying, am
surprised; Tom, that the negroes in this
Peninsula don't e. ght for us.' :,
II reckon you amt Mr.. w You
know too much
"Why don't they fight for Us, TOMB
"They expected to, sir, and all the
colored men, from here to Texas, en-
ipected to.
"Why didn't tkey7.
"You know as we'll as /, We were
driven from your lines and camps, and
pretty plainly told that you didn't want
anything to do with, Us; that you meant
to carry on the war, SO as to leave US in
slavery at the end of the war. SO we
left you to carry on the war as you
could, and pretty poor fist you are
making of it, too, Mr.. w, said Tons
| warmingsinto earnestness. esThe North
cant conquer the South, without the
help of the slaves. We men Of ceier,
who have cbtnliunication with each
other through all the States (the lead
il5 men, mean) knoo this. We know,
too, that if the war lasts, one party or.
the other party viii give US our freedom
"What is that you say--the slave
holders free their slayes2''
'sThey certainly will do it, if they
can't whip you otherwise. You MAJ
depend on that. MyJriends tlsvough tie
South all tell me so. e Our position, Mr..
Nv, is like that of the San DOMINGO
3blaeks. They put their aid in the mar
/ list, lksssss, Betzseen the hitas and a1sna1l AZ
toes-put it for sale. The price Was
their freedom. We mean to sell our
selves for freedom zoe hope 10 yoH avo5sh-
ern men. If your politicians and Gem
Ierals kick US away, we viii try to-
make our market with the rebels. But
you had better baTgain with us--had
better free us aid arm US. How long
would this war last If we were freed by an.
fact Of Congress and the President's S Proc-'
| l. fbaSl 80
eral Orders by the Commanders of ali
the Union armies in the South2 Why,
the.rebel armies would melt a#ay ira
week. Every officer and every private
who had any interest of any Kind in .
plantation, or village even, would rum
straight home to protect it against inn
agined injury. Consider us armedS
there's no use Of talking, Mr.. w. The
revolution at the South is accomplished,
and the Union is saved, and you cant
sape it without the social geUol luton. And,
mark my words, Mr. w, tie attempt To-
fsaue 1t aoahoast doing us Justice s6tll end IL
your oaom political staoery, and your rnie,
and in this England win be the princi-
Epai agent. Thefg. are eetoTed men in
Washington who know the value of the
dinner table talk Of great men, and JEFF
Davis, and Keitt, and Floyd, have always
made naxeh Of lie jealousy 81 n Enalasss
i of the manufacturers of your Moth
s. You have got to have us Mr. W Our
climate viii kill vonr troons save in sna-
cember, January, February, and March.
The South is wilderness. You are iga
lnorant of it, and can be ambushed every
d,u ,,l - - y, \ - : - =
million men you oyerruus it, ii would