Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-12-16
General Gilmore tben saws:

General Gilmore then says;
q have never returned slave to any
claimant, loyal or dislcyal, and never will.
1 will not even turn them out Of my lines
| il know or suspect the owners or agents
are in waiting to seize them. Such a
course would not only be a violation of the
spirit Of the law, but repugnant to my own
feelings. But while 1 am unwilling that
any of my troops should become SLAVE
cdtcherS, consider it my sworn duty to
see that they do not contract the demoral-
iEing habit Of indiscriminste appropria-
Uion Of private properly, PurticuIarIy sIave
property, in the loyal State and among
the loyal people of Kentucky. They are
not here for that purpose"
Here is direct denial Of having had
any instrumentality ia returning any fu-
gitive slaves who have come within his
lines. Upon this point let us bring for
ward a little evidence:
On the 22d Of October, General Gilmore
issued "General Order, No. g." to which
were these two paragraphs:
"Ttis especially made the duty Of guards
and pickets, and Of brigade and regiment
al commanders, to refuse admission within
the lines to that class Of people known as
"contrabands."
GAN those now within the lines, or that
may hereafter in any way gain access
thereto will at once be taken in charge by
the Division QuartermRster, and reported
to these headquarters for such action there
on as may be deemed expedient."
This order was furnished US by our cor
respondent with the lO8d Ohio, and was
commented upon by him as being wholly
repugnant to the feelings of the great ma
jority of the command. In it the guards
are requi red to drive the negroes from
our lines-Of course back toward their
masters They are therefore made slave
shoppers and slave-catchers by the order
of General Gilmore.
It viii be seen by the second paragraph
above that the General required all those
then in the lines to be reported to him
"a for such action as he might deem exp Pc
dient." What that action would be is best
illustrated in the efforts he made to force
Colonel Utley, Of the Wisconsin 22d, to re-
turn certain fugitives which came within
hislines. Their master, rebel, demanded
them Of the Colonel he replied that
he would not surrender them. The
master went to General Gilmore apd OBJ
taiaed on order for Colonel UtIey to sur
render the negroes. Colonel Utley refused
and was ordered to the Generals head
quarters. Here he was told that the order
would be re-issued the next morning, and
If he did not obey he should suffer the con-
sequences. The Colonel said he need not
be at the trouble to issue it again as he
should not obey it. The General found
that he could not get the negroes from the
Colonel, and gave it up. That there may
be no doubt as to the GeneraIhaying given
the order above referred to, we give it in
full
JONES, KY, Oct. 1st, 1852.
COLONEL You wilt at once send to my
headquarters the four contrabands, ABE"
"John," George" and Dick, known to
belong to good loyal citizens. ed
They are in your regiment or were this
morning. Your ob't servant,
O. A. GILMORE,
Bngadier General
To Col. VIM. Utley. Commander ed Wisconsin
Volunteers
No man after reading this order can
pretend to doubt that the intention was to
return the "fOur eontrabands" 4" to their
masters who are endorsed as " good loyal
citizens" But even this endorsements
does not stand the test Of investigation,
for correspondent in that very regiment
writes to Wisconsin paper as follows, re-
garding these very negroes:
"Three Of them belonged to man nam
ed Hogan, on whose farm we encamped.
at whose house the General established his
headquarters during our stay. We knouv,
and all the Union men in the vicinity
know him to be rebel-know that he
furnished their army aid when they were
here, and that before We came be openly