The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-12-27

Congress, at the motion of Southern members,
determined, in 1775, that negroes be rejected
from the army; but they were there already, and,
as would seem, in considerable numbers. Gen.
Washington wrote, demonstrating, Dec, l775,
and Mr.. Sparks says: ~
ssThe resolve was not adhered to.
Many black soldiers we're in the service during
all the stages Of the war"
Gen. Thomas wrote Of negroes in the army in
1875:
I'VE have some negroes, but look upon them
in general equally serviceable with other men Tor
fatigue; and in action many of them have proved
themselves brave"
As to another class In the army he has not so
good report;
= .Iwould avoid all reflection, or anything that
may tend to give umbrage; but there 10 in this
army from the Southwark number called rife
men, who are az Indifferent men as ever served
with. These privates are mutinous, and often
deserving to the enemy; unwilling for duty Of
any kind; exceedingly vicious; and, think, the
army here would be as well without as with
them" ~
Gov Drnmore issued ploclamatian of eman.
cipation in Virginia, early in the war, which
created great CONSERVATION. But he was nar>
row minded and selfish man; he offered freedom
only to such as came to bis banner-the able
bodied men, that is-ahd gave himself no con-
Germ about the women and children. The negroes
quickly saw that he cared nothing for them, but
only for his own ends; and his sel6shness found
its reward in the loss of their confidence so that
though the Shareholders were alarmed, the pro
clamation bad little effect. Yet all through the
revolution the threat of freeing the slaves was
terror to the Southern people. The Virginia
planters took care to point out to their slaves
that Dunmore promised freedom only to the
able bodied. Mr.. Livermore quoted paper
printed in Williamsburg, Va, in which this point
il made. On the other band, this hope is held
out to the slaves as reward for faithfuiness
Can it, then, be supposed that the negroes
will be better used by the English, who have al.
ways encouraged and upheld this Slavery, than
by their present masters, who wish, in general,
| to make it az easy and comfortable as possible !;
| and who would, we're it in their power, or were
they permitted, not only prevent any more ne
groes from losing their freedom, but restore it to
such as have already unhappily lost ?"
| In l776 Gen. Greene reports to Washington
that 500 negroes we're then collected on Staten
Island, to be formed into a regiment. On the
2Sd of October, It'll, a Hessian officer, who was
with Burgoyne at the time of bis surrender,
wrote in journal, of our army:
| 1.-THE negro can take the field instead of his
master; and therefore no regiment is to be seen
in which there are not negroes in abundance,
and among them are sble-bodied, strong and
| brave fellows"
The capture of the British Gen. Prescott, near
Newport, in It'll, which was hailed with joy
through the country, was performed by Gen.
Barton negro named Prince, who was part Of
his force, butting in with his head the door of
the Generals chamber.
Negroes were enlisted as Substitutes" in the
army in Connecticut, to the number of some
hundreds The Rhode Island Assembly, in
ITS, authorized the enlistment OF slaves, who
same pay, &C., as white soldiers The masters
were paid for their slaves. And here is sam
pie of these Rhode Island freedmen's quality:
When Col. Greene was surprised and murder
ed, near Points Bridge, New York, on the 14th
day of May, 1881, his colored soldiers heroic
ally defended him till they we're cut to pieces,
and the enemy reached him over the dead bod
les of bis faithful negroes.
| In l77s the General Court of Massachusetts,
sanctioned the enrolment of negroes, but not in
a special corps.
In Maryland, John Cadwallader wrote from
Annapolis, in 1881:
| "We have resolved to raise immediately 76O
negroes, to be incorporated with the other sol.
diers and bill is now almost completed"
| In New York, in the same year, the Legisls-
ture offered piece of land to the master for
every slave he placed in the army, and freed
the slave, if he served faithfully.
In South Carolina Henry Laurens and his son
Col John Laurens strongly urged the enlistment
of blacks. Henry wrote in l779 to Washing
| ton: s
Had we arms for 5000 such black men as l
could select in Carolina, should have no doubt
of success in driving the British out of Georgia,
and subduiDg East Florida, before the end of
July"
John Laurens received from Congress com
mission as Lieutenant Colonel, on the day when
report was made to raise negro troops in
South Carolina. He wished to command q ne
gro corps. Sir Henry Clinton was already using
negroes as soldiers, and it is instructive to read
| in the report to Congress the representations of
| the South Carolina authorities, that they were
Unable to make any effectual efforts with mil
tia, by reason of the great proportion of citi-
zens necessary to remain at home to prevent the
instructions among the negroes, and to pre-
| vent the desertion of them to the enemy.
Will not the Presidents Proclamation once
more subject South Carolina to this disability?
And if so, is it not ap excellent and most advisa.
| BILE war measure? .....s... .
As for the conduct of shareholders, where
they lose their slaves by the act of war, let the
example and words of Jefferson b their model.
He wrote Of visit of Lord CORVALLIS to his
plantation:
"He carried off also about thirty slaves Had
this been to give them freedom, he would have
done right; but it was to consign them to newt.
able death from the small po1 and putrid fever,
then raging in his camp. This knew after.
wards to be the fate of twenty seven of them"
General Lincoln repeatedly and earnestly i'm
plored that the army in the South might be
strengthened by enlisting negroes. Mr.. Madi-
con thought it advisable to enlist blacks. Col
Laurens made continual efforts in this direction
and General Washington wrote these severe
words to Lsurens, when the latter announced
The opposition which had been made in South
Carolina and Georgia to the enlistment OF the
blacks. Mr.. Livermoie says truly that Wash
iBgton seldom wrote anything go severe.
II must confess that am not at all astonished
at the failure of your plan. The spirit Of free
dom, which, At the commencement of this con-
test, would have gladly sacrificed everything to
the attainment of its object, has long since sub
| IL L.. "a