Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1862-05-20
Negro Garrlso ms In the south .

.D l1' Negro GarFisons I'm Ihe south.
Not long since, news came that arms Ant
equipments were being sent South for the use
the negroes, who were to be enrolled and dis
y sipliued under the direction of General HUNTER
~ Recently the folloviDg paragraphs appeared in
three leading Republican papers, The Wash.
. ington correspondent OF .he New York EOenins
Post wrote ..d .s...
There need be no doubt about the state en-,
that the President has decided 70 send out arms
and equipments to Port Royal, that General
Hunter may make use Of the negroes to defend
his position, and for offensive purposes also-
Twas stated in this correspondence three weeks
ago. that Mr. stanton would garrison the South
ern forts the coming summer with negroes, and
- General Hunter will drill the contrabands for
this purpose. ,, n, ..,s4
The Washington National Republican remark.
ed: r-7 60 re
This IA, 10 be sure, a ttTribLc phrase -"negrO
gaFrisoRs |" Yet, from what we hear, General
Hunter is going at once into the business of in
structibg " consrabapds u IN the military art
T, Arms and equipments ere undoubtedly on the
ay way 10 Port Royal for this purpose. The Gov
e eminent is, doubtless, convinced that, while
the enemy is employing thousands of slaves to
~ continue the rebellion, it were worse than folly
10 neglect 10 make use OF them upon the side OF
20 loyalty and the Government. The forts upon
-, the coas: will be garrisoned by them, and Gen.
rs. eral Hunter will reinforce himself With the 10y
's al slaves aocking to the standard Of the Stars
~ aud Stripes.
sa,. The New York 7'ribass said: -
'rs MslOr-General Hunter has issued an order to
sl- the Colonels of regiments in ,his department
1t @ 70 report TO him the number of active ntelli
tn gent, uon-commissioned officers. and even pri
- Yates that can be selected from each regiment
fI Who are competent to instruct and drill the ne
ys groes In military exeFcisee.- Il Is evident from
sg this that If the war be protrscted so long, the
o 'E brave old General intends TO have some volun
2 teer regiments, that can endure the Southern
climate during the summer months,
ssu Hwas perhaps to obtain plenty of these black
recruits that induced General HUNTER to issue
-- hls proclamation, forever freeing all the slaves
ll4 10 South Carolina, Georgia aad Florida. 1t
n was based probably upon the suppositiOn that
. y Che slaves would be persuaded by the promise
80 Of'ffecdon to come within HUNrKR's lines and
exchange their state OF bondage for enlistment
IN the Federal service.
10 Other motives may have aided in prompting
q. the Issue of HUSTER's extraordinary prOclama-
i,- tion; but the above is the one which Republi-
can papers put forth as i!s complete justi6ca-
sion. He had asoertained, says the New York
, Tribune, thatt tho rebel Authorities in his de-
paFtmsnt were impresaing, armiBg and trganiz-
Z, ing slaves into brigade, and that to cbeckmate
~ them, and to array negro against negro, he is-
sned hs emancipation order. The Tribune
abo afifms that the proclamation was based
upen exploit Instructions to General HUNTER to
countervall any attempt of the rebels to use ne
groes against him, by the most obvious and eff
oient means. Its conclusion is that HuSTER did
resort to such MEANS when he issued his aboli-
tion order to induce slaves to come into his
camps, where they must either enlist In his SER
ss vice or sterve. "a ~ ~ ssrfrsE
Wehave yet to see what the Administration
viii do about HuNTER's proclamation, and to
what extent it viii sustain his course At.
tempts at q general and immediate emancipa.
sion Of the slaves, and at srmiDg them and gar
risoning the ports and cities of the South with
them, would proloDg the war, unite and consol-
idate the Southern people against the Govern
ment, and involve the country in horrors to
which the terrible scenes of the past year have
i been but prelude. TT f1
II may be said that the mass of the Southern
people are already agaInst the Government and
that the rebellion cannot be protr cted or aggra
Ested By the course indicated. But Republi
cans have told Us all along that the mass of the
Southern people were betrayed into Secession
and kept In rebellion by being falsely assured
that II was the intention Of the LINCOLN Gov
asrnmens 70 free the negroes and arm them
against the whites. VIII It undeceive these
betrayed Souiherners and make them return to
their allegiance, which Is the alleged sole pur
pose Of the war, for the Federal Government to-
do the very things upon Southern soil, which
the Secession leaders declared Il intended to do
and would do7