The daily Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1862-1863, 1862-10-24
A General Possessing Brains.

"Eot>eA'oAAe tuCuAcCROo u w. .t'-
mentality calculated in the least to aid
his soldiers, or weaken the enemy. The
following from the pen of an army Off
cer,shows how it happened that Price
and Van Dorm were SO Overwhelmingly
defeated at Corinth, and the rebel army
of East Tennessee almost annihilated-
That it was not utterly scattered and dc.
stroyed was no fault of Roseocrans:
That the negro slaves of the South may
be made an element of great strength in
our service, has recently been proved,
and verified by actualexpsriment in Mis-
sissippi, by Major-General Roseocrans.
When this General advanced into North
Alabama with part of his forces, during
the past summer, the slaves OF that re-
gion, without persuasion, came into his
camps in great numbers, and it be-
came serious question with the General
respecting the proper manner of dispo-
sing of them. While some of his Gem
erals advocated the propriety Of sending
them back to their several owners, others
were for arming them. General Roseo-
Grams did not accept the advice of either;
but, after due deliberation, conceived,
and Immediately adopted the plan of en-
- ling a . e young and able bod ed.men,
and organizing them into body, TO do
duty in the army as pioneers, and al
other necessary fatigue duty required
In accordance with this plan Capt
William B. Cav, Assistant Engineer on
the staff of the General, was selected as
a fit person to undertake the arduous
task Of organizing the corps, he having
previously, on Public Works in the South,
studied the character of this class of per-
sons
Full directions were given to Captain
Cav, by order of the General, to draw
upon the Commissaries and Quartermas-
ters of the army for any and all things to
perfect the organization.
Upon completion of the enrolment
and necessary examination of 450 ne
groes, it was surprising to find that about
one-fourth of the whole number were
more or less conversant with the use of
tools. The negroes were selected ac-
cording to capacity, and put into squads
of % men--the squads being designated
| by numbers conforming to the capacity
and usefulness of the persons, beginning
with No l, &c. Carpenters and black
smiths, and those familiar with other
trades, constituted the first class; chop
pers and .hewers the second class; and
| the common field hands the third class.
| Squads Nos. and 2, made of the first
class, were supplied with every idescrip-
ton of tools necessary to do work in car
| pentering, masonry, and blacksmithing;
squads Nes. 8, 4, and 5 were supplied
with axes and. broadaxes, being of the
second class; and squads Nos 6, Z, s,
9, and 10 were furnished with spades,
shovels, pickaxes, and mattocks. In
addition to the tools furnished, there was
supplied the necessary transportation,
consisting of eight four mule) teams
complete.
| Another element Of this organization
| consisted of one company of infantry,
permanently attached to the corps, to
act as its escort, and guard it against
the attacks of the guerrillas when on
duty in the advance of the army, and as
guards when in camp, and also to work
as pioneers when required From this
i company the most intelligent non com
lmissioned officers have been selected as
overseers to direct the operations of the
respective squads. In addition to the
above, one commissioned officer - lst
Lieut. Chas H. Foster, of Co. K, llth
| Missouri Infantry, who has immediate
command of the corps-has been per
manently detailed, as an assistant to
Capt Cav, and has charge of the books
of the organization Also surgeon has
! seen detailed who has charge of the
e;pital and medical stores attached to
Gie company. go ,s i-asis'eE
1t is understood that the organization
is strictly based upon military rule, and
is subjected to the same rigid discipline
of the white soldier. And it is remark
able that this class of persons bear the
discipline with as much ease as the most
patriotic of the whites.
I On the 25th of August, 1862, this pio
neer organization Consisting of 25(
slaves or contrabands), the first of the
kind ever instituted, was put to labor-up
on the Notifications and bridges on The
roads approaching the town of Iuka
Miss, and from the beginning proved Of
useful at work as the best of our white
! soldiers. 80 aa
On the 10th of September, this pio
neer corps moved from Iuka, and march
: ed all night in advance and repaired al
, the roads and bridges over which Gen
/ Rosecrans' forces passed in the morning
, The corps reached this place on thu
! morning of the 18th inst, and immedi
, ately commenced operations here (Cor
Iinth) on the inner defenses, between
which time and the I'd of October it con
structed six redans, with gabbion revet
ments, each mounting six guns; and il
: the same time felled the timber covering
at least 800 acres, to give clear rang
, for the play of the guns Of the works. l
! | is said this work saved our defeat at Co
, rinth. So much for the foresightednes
! of the General commanding. He anti
cipated the contest at this point at abou
|, the time it came, therefore his object il
organizing corps upon which he coul,
depend Everybody hereabouts, inclu
ding the General himself, pronounce
the organization perfect success.
An eminent military engineer of tn,
4 ~. S. Army has remarked the usefulness
f of this corps, and says it viii inauguratt
: a new phase in military, and viii hereaf
ter be associated with, as it must hereaf
ter be regarded as an indispensable re