Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-11-19
p lCempIeCo suooess Of Negro rroops

30 Cemrlefo Success of Negro rroops,
The experiment Of making soldiers of
negroes has been faithfully and success
fully tried in the Department ofthe South,
and especially upon a late expedition sent
BY Brigadier General saxton, on the trans
port Darlington, down the coast Of Georgia
and Florida, under command of Colonel
Beard Of the 4Sth New York, for the pur-
pOselof recruiting among the negroes for
the 1st sOuth Carolina Union Regiment,
and Of damaging the enemy whenever op-
pOrtunity offered. The expedition ascend
ed several small rivers, and gained many
sccessions to the ranks. The capacity of
thesereeruits for soldiers was fairly tested
and unequivOeally certified to by the CON-
msnding officers The steamer PolOmska
having conveyed the transport the Lieu
tenant commanding gives the following
testimony to the conduct of the negro
troops:
liAsgS41ED STATES sTEAsER PoTossKA,
go -- sSapelo River, Georgia, Nov. z, 1862
sSIR;--lt gives me pleasure to testify to
the admirable conduct Of the negro troops
list South Carolina Volunteers), under
the command Of Lieutenant Colonel Beard,
4Sth New York Volunteers, during this
daT7s operation. They behaved splendidly
under the warm and CALLING FIRE we were
exposed to, in the two skirmishes with the
enemy. I did not see a man finch, con-
trafy to Ey. expectations.
One Of them particularly came under
ay notice, who, although badly wounded
in the face, continued to load and FIRE, in
the coolest manner imaginable.
Every one Of them acted like veterans.
s Very eeHuliy, WILLIAM BUDD.
Acting Lieutenant Commanding Potomska.
To the Rev. M. Frenchs Chsplain U. S. A
Colonel Beard himself says in his re-
port;-
.i&The oOlored men fought with astonish-
ing coolness and bravery For alaority in
effecting landings, for determination, for
bush fighting found them all I could de-
sire, mere than had hoped. They be
baEed braFely, gloriously, and deserve all
praise
The results Of the expedition are thus
summed up by a correspondent of the Tri-
5une:
.aOur steamer left Beaufort wifksut a |
soldier and returned after an absence Of |
1sdays with 1856 fighting eolored men,
some Of whom dropped the hoe, took mus
ket and were at once soldiers, ready to |
febt for the freedom of others. The |
troops made thirteen landings on the main |
land between Fernandina and Fort Pulas-
II, destroying nine large salt works, to-
gether with some $4,000 worth of salt, |
corn, rice, horses, &C., which could not b. I
taken away. About seventy slaves were |
taken from their rebel masters, while eur
STEAMERS brought back the scars Of enc /
hundred and fifty Of the enemy's balls.-
The men entered Beaufort singing the !
John Brown song more heartily, venture |
to say, than 1t was ever sung before. The |
negroes now think they will be ready, !
when the brigade is completed, to take the |
job Of putting down the rebellion
Mrs. F!aD. Gage writing TO the same
paper, gives an account Of this expedition
and Of other matters of interest in that
Department. She makes thefollOwing no
tice Of White slavery in Georgia:
= q Black slavery at the North is a differ
ent thsng from white slavery, and 1 beg to
say tezthose who still lean to the side Of
The oppressor, that white slavery is Con-
stitdional' in Georgia Among the slaves
brought from the coast is a grandmother
and numerous family. The elder woman
is tall, stately, and dignifed. The blood Of
some proud race hushes her almost white
face. Her daughters are both whittier and
darker than herself and her grand-ehil-
dreh are whittier still, and some Of them
very beautiful. ---- -.l-
done babe is perfectly white. It has
not forid blush, sandy hair and blue
eyes. But its skin is very fair, its eyes
large, lustrous and brown, while not a
vestige Of the kiuky hair would shame
the proudest Anglo Saxon mother to call it
her own"