Daily union appeal. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1862-186?, 1862-08-17
USE THE SLAVES.
A Few Historical Precedsnts IN Reply to
Conservative Gobhie-Let All who Will,
Fight.

can the slaVeY or Lhe Tree DIacE, 1elp end the
rebellion is the question. An answer can be
given by showing what he has done in shines
that tried mems souls
That millions uf people, eager to help the
Union army-peopie among whom are extern
sive secret organizations so that they could
readily respond in numbers--should not be
allowed on large scale to do so, is passing
strange and sadly pitiful. The tired Federal
soldier must dig in the trenches, while the
rebel rests and is strengthened for g new battle.
Government calls for a host OF men, but the
negro, ready and eager, must not touch a
musket lest some rebel feelings be hurt, or
some traitor in tho army or at home be dis
turbed.
Such folly did not rule the hour in the
Revolution.
The frst given are from an excellent work
by VIM. c. Neil, of Boston-a colored man
" "Colored Patriots of the Revolution accu.
rate in its history, as able persons certify:
In Rhode Island" says Governor Eustis,
In his able speech against slavery in Missouri,
18th December, 1920, :" the blacks formed an
entire regiment and they discharged their
duty with zeal and fidelity. The gallant de-
Tense of Red Bank, in which the black regi-
men bore part, is among the proofs of their
valor."
ain this contest, it will be remembered that,
u
terrible and sanguinary struggle hfteen hun.
dred Hessian troops, headed by Count Donop.
The glory Of the defense of Red Bank, which
has been pronounced one of the most heroic
actions of the war, belongs in reality to black
men, yet who now hears them spoken of in
connection with ts Among the traits which
distinguished the black regiment was devotion
10 their officers. In the attack made upon the
American lines, near Croton river, on the 18th
of May, 1881, Col. Greene, the commander of
the regiment, was cut down and mortally
wounded, but the sabres of the enemy reached
him only through the bodies of his faithful
guard of blacks, who gathered around him to
protect him, and every one of whom was
killed.
"The celebrated Charles Pinckney, of South
Carolina, in 1920, in his speech on the Mis-
souri, question: and in defense of the slave rep
resentation of the South, made the following
admission:
Sat the commencement of our revolution
ary struggle with Great Britain, all the States
had this olass of people. Toe New England
States had numbers Of them the Northern
and Middle States had still more although
less than the Southern. They all entered into
the great contest with similar views. Like
brethren, they contended for the benefit of
the whole, leaving to each the. right to pur-
sue its happiness in its own way. They thus
nobly toilod and blsd together, really like
brethren.
"They we're in numerous Instances the pio-
neers, add in all the labcrers of your armies.
To their hands were owing the erection of the
greater part of The fortiacations raised for the
protection of our country. Fort Moultrie
gave, at an early period of the ineXperience
and untried vslor OF our citizens, Immortality
to American arms. And il The Nor Ghera
SlatsS nuI0sroaa bodies OF thom y ere enrolled,
aad fought, sldo by side with th3 whites, the
battles OF the Revolution"
"Ssid Msrtindale, of New York. in Con.
gress, 2zd OF January, 1928: Slaves. or ne
sroes who had been slaves, were enlisted as
soldiers in the war Of the revolution; and I
myself saw q battalion of them, as fine martial
looking men as / ever saw, attached to the
Northern army, in the last war; on its march
from Plattsburg to Sackett's Harbor.'
"Jack Grove of Portland, while steward of
brig, sailing from the West Indies to Pors.
land in 1912, was taken by French vessel.
whose commander placed guard on board
Jack urged his commander to make an effort
10 retake the vessel, but the captain saw no
hope. Says Jack, Capt. Mcclellan, can
take her, If you will let me go ahead The
captain checked him, warning him not to lisp
| such word-there was danger in Il: but
Jack, disappointed, though not daunted, raj
lied the men on his own hook. Capt. Nc Lei.
Ian and the rest, inspired by his example
| finally Joined them, and the attempt resulted
the vessel into Portland"
"Among the brave blacks who fought in
| the battles for American liberty was Maisr
jeffrey, q Tennesseesn, who, during the cam
paign Of Msjor General Andrew Jaekson in
| Mobile, filed the place IF Irregular among
the soldiers. In the charge made by General
| Stump against the enemy, tho Americana
were repuised and tnrown into discrder-Ma-
| jor stump being forced 70 retire, in a manner
| BY no means desirable, under tha circumstan-
| ces. Major Jeffrey, who was bat common
| soldier, seeing the condition OF his comrades
and eompfehending the disastrous results
| about to befall Them, rushed forward, mounted
| horse, took command of the troops, and, by
an heroic effort rallied them,to tho charge
completely routing the enemy, who left the
| Americans masters Of the field. He ct once
received from the general the title of /" major
though he could not, according to the Ameri-
can policy, so commission him. To the day
Of his death he was known by that title il
Nashville, where he resided, and the circum-
stances which entitled him to it were con
stantly the subject of popular conversation.
"MEjur jeffrey wss highly respected by th,
whites generally, and revered, In his owl
neighborhood, by ali the colored people VIII
knew him.
aThe names of the two brave men of colo
who fell, with Ledyard, at he storming g
Feri Griswold, were Lambo Latham and Jor
dan Freeman. When Major Montgomery
one of the leaders in the expedition against th
Americans, was lifted upon the walls of th
fort By his soldiers, fourishing his sword an
calling on them to follow him, Jordan Free
man received him on the point of q pike, an
! pinned him dead to the earth.D
/" During the Revolution, the New Yor
Legislature passed an act giving freedom
} all slavss who serve in the army three year
or until discharged" ."-(See Ksnts Com, |
: 255.l
:. Slaves in Rhode Island who served In tn
, revolutionary army were also freed.
On Lake Erie, in 1872, colcred sailors prove
1 brave and true.