The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1862-01-04

NC6 >e \ VA "SoJ
In spite of Gen. Shermans delay in giving
out an invitation, many negroes have come into
the Union lines at Port Royal, and have been made
seryic.able in various ways, especially in gather
ing what cotton the rebYls in shcir.haste lad left
undcs,royed, or to which they had been to" tim
id to return and apply the torch. Ono might
readily infer from this experience that Gen.
Sherman might have made it sood thing for
tho Government il he had increased hi, Iorcc Of
negroes before this, wishou. waitn two months.
The insgh. that VIC got into the h1bts ana life
Of the negroes that have hcen bred IN Slavery
through expeditions Ike that at Fort Royal,
one would suppose would have led to some 1cf-
mite policy, long ere ills, in the use that tie
Government! would make Of sayes in the pro-
gress of the war. The newspaper correspond
cn.s at Port Royal give US much Information
showing how The mgr, es haze been made useful.
and how lutte they seem to be attached to their
former charming state Of ,cryituIo. We copy
below a portion OF an interesting letter in the
World from Port Royal on this subject:
This department Of the army .! the Union
presents juss now specimen If agricultural in
dustry rather than uf military prmp. S!nco
my las, letter. which | sent by The Baltic, no
array movements Vi Importance nave taken place,
affairs in that direction remaining IN s.Gtu Yvo.
The plantation affairs, however, aro lively and
iurrcutiDg, ana 70 .l,"m propose TO devote the
prncip pal part Of this brnt letter. 1t is est
mated that at least - 900, 900 worth of cotton
has been secured and taken care Of already and
tie negroes arc very day bus:.Y employed in
| picking, bal!ns, and shipping mora. On the
different islands where c,t.on abounls, they aro
set to work in gangs u ten, tweny five, fifty or
y hundred, collecting the cotton in baskets Of
bags, which they carry in one hand, Or slu@..
from the Shoulders. They empty tie cotton in
to other roceptacl,a where it s weighed, and
| each picker is credited at the rate Of onn cent
per pound for his york. Thus the account is
KEEP. with the negroes. Tho cotton rroia cac,
plantation is marked with the iniiala Of the
owner OF the estate. and tbs fact noted in the
account; 50 tim II !: cl;: "?;c- IL shchn that
the property belonged to y loyal man, the exact
amount OF damages can b as.'r!:acI. Pr
haps the idea Of loyalty may lauso Tie reader to
smile iccrcdulously, but it will be conceded at
any rate That the prccaution taken is a prudent
one, and generous. if more than Just The ne.
grots manifest the greatest Interest in collecting
all the cotton they can fad. However dul! Of
understanding m,ry Of them may BE-, every one
can sen the p'cuniary reason for setting c,'.rn
for tho /" Yankees" Many times they have led
small parties to distant plantations, secured
boat-oads of the article, and returned in tri.
imp, demonstrating their Civilizations Ivy px-
| trav mt .Io, l..
rapid successive elevations OF heels. Let me say
here, that we have almost always found tho ne
groes truthful in The statements they have made
to US, and consequently we have sometimes re-
lied on their guidance in max ing q,,i.c extended
explorations OF The coantry Their first stories
OF the evacuation Vi tlil,on Head by the rebels.
and the state Of society since the burning of a
large part Of Charleston, and the progress of
the fire, and the location of stored cotton, have
almost uniformly proved trae, although the
facts were sometimes magnifed and sometimes
mystiiied in the dAiky mind The cotton in
POSSESSION OF the federal authorities is OF the
best quality and harvested in admirable condi
ton. Its value, in New York, is about seventy.
FIVE cents per pound. Speaking Of the negroes
reminds me OF one thing that feel called npon
to protest against. They assume she owner
ship Of whatever poultry and small live stock
they can pick up along The borders Of nur lines
ana sell them to the soldiers at exhorbitant pri.
ccs. -Four or five dollars for Il turkey. and
twenty or twenty-five cents Iound for pres,
are prices which think our soldiers should not
be allowed to pay. OF course do not inean
that every darkey IS given carte Uanche rs a
sutltr, out soldiers out vi camp are at liberty 10
buy where and at what prices they please 1t
| seems to me that some method should be en-
! poyed to remedy tho system vi mercantile trans
actions 80 that tho . Innocent contruban,lsn
should not be allowed to fleece tho soldiers. As
| write, "old Joo' comes along with soueal-
ing pig under one AIN, reminding Inc of a lit.
tie incident that occurred "a lew days SINCE
"Old Joe y is grave, solemn-looking fellow
probably about eighty years Of age, ald-headed,
with only a sprinkling of gray wool under his
nat crown. Bent with old aye and hard Dor
he looks the very representation Of Bourccult' 6
ancient darkey IN the Peyton family IN tho
!" Octoroon''
TN the occasion referred to, Ao approached
the tent oil young volunteer officer. Pulling
off, his diiapidated hat, he gave u respectful! tug
to his side tut Of wool, and wished to know #
"Massa Yankee had seen his spectacles." The
said sPectacles were, as gathered IRON his griey.
ing story, steel.mounted, and had hardy left
their position upon his nose or over hi. ewes dur
ing the doings of many years HIS expressions
OF sorrow al their untimely loss were many and
sincere, and he evidently suspected some Of the
Yankee sojer mas RS had been playipu n
trick upon INN in pnrloining the apparatus.-
The officer was unable to help him, and being Il
sly bit of wag, directed him to Gen. Sherman
who happened to be at little distance. Tn,