The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1862-09-12
The Negro IN the Revolution.

The Negro In the Revolution
The following extracts from distorted
Notes on the Employment Of Negroes in
The American Army OF the Revolution" BY
Geo. ii. Moore. We take from the Co1fises-
TAD -Rosthiy for September:
From this We learn that while great OPP
position TO the project prevailed. owing to
wrong Judgment as TO the capacity Of the
black, the expediency and even necessity Of
employing him was. during the events OF the
war. forcibly demonstrated. and that. whea
be ,eas employed in a military capacity. he
proved himself good soldier.
There were. however. grea, and good
men during the Revelation. who warmly
sustained the Affirmative. The famous DR..
Hopkins wrote as follows in l776:
'.Ged ordering in hs providence. tina:
absolutely soesAins should speedily be done
w and their farming against as in
@ n IN 10 s. Il. s.et sns Sems
take against ~ ~e1aisins them liberty on
utmost their power, BY sh.eh mean. they per.
:. aissa as oa then A"s :hSaa Ne
them Furnishing them severely who shall
s os . a TO sa e
AND a.. pe
eo1s vensesnse Of AeAven spen car heAds TIE oaly
III. blacks :. liberty ourselves ~ public saI
Ia .aa ssn s. s ns ,s :
sha II choose rhs .ssid q once ss doing them sess
scheme they arc prosecuting"
These" says Mr.. Moore. "werc the
views Of philanthropic divine. who urged
them upon the Continental Congress and
the owners OF slaves throughout the colo
mics with singular power. showing it to be
at once their duty and their interest to adopt
the policy of emancipation" They did
not NEE, with those Of the administration
OF any Of the colonies. and were formally
disapproved. But while the enlistment Of
negroes was prohibited, the fact is still no.
torious, as Bancroft says, that 1.-THE roll Of
the army at Cambridge had from its first
formation borne the names of men Of color"
Free negroes stood in the ranks by the
side of white men. In the beginning OF tho
war, they had entered the provincial army;
the first general order which was issued By
Ward had required return; among other
things. of the 'complexio OF the soldiers;
aud black men, like others. were retained
in the service after the troops were adopted
by the continent
1t WAS determined on. at war-councils and
in committees of conference. in 1775. that
negroes should be rejected from the enlist
ments; and yet General Washington found.
in that same year. that the negroes, if not
employed in the American army, would DO.
come formidable foes when enlisted by the
enemy. We may judge. from a note given
by Mr.. Moore, that Washington had NJ
least higher opinion than his con (rerss of
the power of the black. His apprehensions.
We are told, were grounded somewhat on
the operations Of Lord Dunmore. whose
proclamation had been issued declaring all
indented servants, negroes or others. Zap.
pertaining to rebels. free,' and calling upon
them TO join his Majesty's troops. 1t was
the opinion of the commander in chief. that
If Dunmore was not crushed before spring.
he would become the most formidable enc
my America had, his strength will increase
as snow ball by rolling. and faster. il some
expedient can be hit upon to convince the
slaves and servants Of the impotency of his
designs. Consequently. in general orders.
December 3Oth, he says:
As the General inforued thas .u.bsr, Of free me-
erung officers to them and pro"i.s. 70 i.S
me matter before the Congress, who, he dosbs viii
Washington communicated his action to
Congress. adding: If this is disapproved
OF by Congress. l will put a stop to it,
Ills letter was referred to q committee of
three, (Mr. Wythe, Mr.: Adams, and Mr..
WILSON, on the fifteenth of January, l776,
and upon their report on the following day
the Congress determined:
That the free Who served faithful, In
no Others '-e'e''' os'
That Washington. at later period at
least, warmly approved of the employ mont
of blacks As soldiers, appears from his re-.
marks to Colonel Laurens. subsequent to
his failure to carry out what even as an ef.
tort forms one of the most remarkable epis.
odes OF the Revolution, full details of which
are given in Mr.. Moore's pamphlet.