New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-09-26

Iuc,sns herewith report Of Msjor Peck which d'clc.ss
have the honor to remain with sentiments Of high esteem
very fespectfuDy your obebisnt servsDt,
J. W. PHELPS. BrgadieT. General
GEN. PHELPS TO CAPT. DAVIS.
CAMP PARAPEr Ia, Sept 6, 1862
Sin: Three negro men, Robert Harrison, Robert Morgan
aud Joe Lewis now In my camp are ordered by Provost
Marshal Jonas H. French TO b. delivered Mir kincala
or be ent hin fronch) BY direction Of the MsorGen-
Mr Kucala IT ,ppe,r' Is the day wa,chman of the New
Orleans Ga. Company which these belong and This
the second ts that they have sought the protection OF he
United sis'e. in my c,mp TITS time two # he men were
loaded with eh-in.. snd Que ofthem is badly muined
returning Of these slaves spPsss to me wholly In
compatible with General Orders No ~ from the War De-
podnent. dated July 30 lt6l ,e.tion ~ would
k Won, 10 tia, section and request TO be informed
Wheeler Is not mistrAe In the M'iOehera'
One of tho men is llmed In consequence OF inhunsr
treatment this. he can hardy walk.
sn' Sir very p',ey YIN Ipe'isp'
A true copy. E.v N. Hitchcock. Lieu, ard A. d. c.
CAPT. DAVIS TO GEN. PHELPS.
HgiDauARrgss DsPAaTsgsr or Tng GrLT
kYw-OhLEANs, sept g. lsbS
GENERAL: Your letter in regard to tires negroes In yon
camp belonging the Gas Works has been r,csVod shd u
eus would say that they he returned according
Nsrh, Frt CHI. order Il IL Incompatible Will
General der No 81 for they do not long to M ~ os
bat to the Gas Woss which are now unde. mln,ay A a
ity and Deed them for public service prop' 'es
gsti n whether they have he Improperly OF hhosh'S
punished or rot, shall BE- made.
By order Of ,eJ r-Gen. hu1IER go
am, Sir. mo-, respectfully your obt 'ery't;
Il. p DAVIS. Captain aid A A. A. q.
To Brig Gen j w. PBtLP.
AS the acceptance of my resignation reached
me on the 9th of September, was spared the
unpleasantness Of preferring charges against
General Butter for this last Illegal order, winch
is directly in oppOstion to the new article Of
war alluded to in this correspondence, ard
which prohibits any Officer Of the Army from
returning fugitive slave. Acts OF this
kind. which are dons in the name of Slavery,
will demoralize an army as much as Slavery
itself.
1t is evident to me, from long period OF
service in the Southwest, that decided
course of policy ia necessary on the part oil
our Government. and that that policy should be
the immediate and unconditional abolition OF
slavery. 1t ia an evil Of the worst hind, a
standing rebellion against free institutions. No
stakeholder, az such, can be loyal to free GO
veIpment. The present crisis is yeritabe
revolution which must either reyoutiOnize free
men ont of their habits of Freedom, or slave
holders out of their habits OF Slavery.
The four millions of Africans in the United
States are organized for agricultural purposes
and are held to labor by the force OF chains,
stocks and the lash, at the will OF the master.
This system Of labor renders despotic govern
ment Il political necessity, aud 'he only means
of preventing it, is TO reorganize these Africans
with view to suborlnativn to democratic in.
sttutions. In the place Of the master, the
overseer and the driver, We must substitute
the Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel, and Major of o
military organization, appointing men to these
positions Of tie highest standing and character,
aud of the most approved loyalty aud patriot
ism. This is the only way that We can re-
claim the slave from his iespotic uses and rem
der him subordinate to the democratic institu-
tons Of the country. 1t is the only way By
which we can manage him with the least pos
sible loss TO our liberties and the least amount
of detrimeut to the interests of the master.
IL is now about ten months since left the
North to engage ia the expedition against
Newt rleans, during which time, upward Of
four months have been spent in the vicinity Of
thai city, and yet no progress seems to have
been made in restoring peace or quelllng the re-
belIion. On the contrary, after perfectly
useless delay and an immense expenditure Of
life aud treasure, the state of things is worse
than ever. Delays are dangerous; and never
more so than in military matters. They tend
TO compromise our liberties as well as injure
the interests of the whole Union. Convinced
Of this, l have omitted no opportunity or
means that my position has offered, even to
the sacrifice of my commission. to awaken the
attention of the President and the country.
TO ignore Slavery in the present crisis is but
little less disastrous than Slavery itself
J. ". PHELPS, Late Bn. Con. Volunteers.
Esr- York Sept 20 1904