Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1862-07-10
HUNTERS NEGRO REGI-
MENT POLICY.

Some time ago Mr.. Wyckliffe of Ken
/ ickv, introduced into the House of Rep
sp.rntatives a resolution calling upon the
Eecretary of War for " information re-
! apectng the organization by Gen. Hunter,
h the Department of South Carolina, of
i regiment of volunteers for the defence
n the Union, composed of black men,
Fugitive slaves.)" In reply, the Secre-
Dr. of War has transmitted to the House
|. communication from Gen. Hunter un-
/ dfr date of June %, setting forth that he
h. organized a regiment of black men.
ut he denies that they are " ".fugltjre
| Iayes." He says their disloyal owners
D. &" flgittue masters" and he seems to
tgret that there is no law to bring them
b.. ..... ....
The communication further sets forth
] Rat he derived his authority by organiz
" blacks into regiments from the instruc
b. given by the late Secretary OF >dar
) HOn. Simon Cameron, to his pred ecessor
Gtn. Sherman, which he says have neve
ken re goked.
Pc further says that he has never re
tived any specific authority for issues o
tothing, uniforms, arms, equipments, &c
l the troops in question, but insists tha
H. general instructions from Mr.. Gamer
o. to employ them in any manner b
hight find necessary, is a sufficient Just
fcation for so doing. ra,. 20.
81 The remainder of the communicate
i devoted to general vindication OF th
popriety and even necessity of armin
snch negroes in his department as com
vihin his lines. He says:
The experiment of armir the blacks,
kr as have made it, has been a complies
Md even marvellous success. They ar
Sber, docile, atte 1tive, and enthusiastic, dr
paylng great natural capacities for acqulrln
he duties of the soldier. They are cage
Beyond all things to take the field and be le
ao4,o,, and ~ I'll
'tf the officers who have charge of them, tn
~ the peculiarities of this climate and coul
ty they viii prove invaluable auxiliaries fol
equal to the similar regiments so long an
successfully used by the British authoriti
|an the West India Islands," ...A a'h'
The present Secretary of War, on IL
l4th ultimo informed the House of Rel
|Fesentatives that g Gen. Hunter was n
|authorized by the Department to organii
EFnd muster into the army of the Unite
Hotates fugitive or captive slaves" al
Ethat " no arms had been furnished by O
Naer of the Department of War to
placed in the hands of such slaves."-
Thus it seems the Secretary of War al
Gen. Hunter are directly at issue up'
the point as to whether the negro res
ment was organized and armed by autho
PITY from the War Department. As Ge
Hunter claims to have derived his autho
ity wholly from the instructions of NJ
cameron to Gen. Sherman, recurren
20 those Instructions will be sufficient ,
'nink to settle the question. The folio
ing is the letter of Secretary Cameron
Iluded to 4:
j WAR DEPARTMENT, Oct. IA, 1862.
4 DIR In conducting military operatio
vi "ilnin States declared by the proclamati
N The President to be in state of insure
,On' you will govern yourself, SO far as p,
~ 2Sa held to service under the laws of su
SSa5eS are concerned, by tie princip
he letters addressed by me to Mai
General Butler on the s0th of Nj
-. u the sth of August, copies of which a
GeNith furnished to you. As special dire
adapted to special circumstances, ca