New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-08-18

worst enenies-that they would be maItreAted an
s9nt to some foreign land. This was told ii, IN b
the best citizens, and created real fear w.hic
mingled with their hope Of liberty Would it m
be well for ali talk of colonization to 10 postponed
for the present, if not altogether
In free conversation with them SINCE they have
told me that there was never mofuent when the
hope Of freedom was not before tbem that good or
bad treatment made no difference with them when
freedom was in the question:; thst they have no
doubt all the slaves have the same hope. They told
me that after the battle of Bull Run the masters went
into their kitchens and told them the war was over
and the South victorious and that many negroes
were absolutely sick with grief, go much that they
went to bed l
should say that, among some thry-Gve now in
the land of freedom, there was a single one who
hesitated some time before he left--a man who had
for many years been his masters personal attendant
and companion, and was much attached to him.
Now, | do not hesitate to say that if in the
neighborhood of Famoath or Fredericksburg the
question had been asked year ago, Whose slaves
will be the last to 90 universal consent would have
pointed to these seemingly happy ones belonging to
my father. And that it would have been conceded
that if they went others could he considered Sc
cure.
You will observe that the Rebel newspapers never
speak of the escape of slaves. They always say:
"1he Yankees have stolen TO many slaves from such
and such place." They speak of negroes being
"run off," The reason is that they dread the panic
which would sweep through the South if it should
become universally known that the negroes were
watching only for glimpse Of our banner TO rush to
it's protection.
In view Of these and many other facts bearing on
the same point, venture TO give the President
piece of purely military advice. 1t is not imperti-
nen because he has announced that lie is lot mill
tary man. OF courte could not take upon my con-
science the objectionable sin Of supposing that
military General-a graduate of West Point, for ex-
amPle-can he advised in any particular. This is
the advice Let Gov. sprague take his colored reg-
ment to Alabama Then let Gen. Hunter send his
lst South Carolina Regiment and Gov Sprague send
his, into regions utterly aastrdfegn-regions untra-
veroed by any roads leading to seized arsenss
tom-hou-.s or forts-points which the Rebels would
never dream OF defending; let these coored reQi-
mens 90 forth into the deser,ed heart and forests Of
those States, their single object being 10 gather ny
all the slavesthey ind. The black faces of those
regiments will be- welcome enough. Like snowflake
accumulating ns they roll, those regiments would
swell 81 presently that the rumor would strike
through the Rebel ranks that million of bla,ks were
Staying men, women, and children not a word Of
tnis would be- true, Mr.. Presden, any than the
reIons in the Baltimore and Richmond papers that
John Brown with several hundred thousand negroes
was invading the South was true but think how
fine il would be to zee thote fellows scauiporing
away from Richmond and vIcksburg TO defend their
homes from the great negro army Gen. Mcclellan
might then cry Shoulder spades' and mHch
straight INTO Richmond. All the Rebellion needs i-
"a strong counter Iuitnt. Llsier-pl,sier oi coored
regiments the back would draw timely, aud your
proclanat0n TO The Rebels to d,TerSe would sudden
ly have significance in their eyes.