Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1863-06-20
MISCELLANEOUS.
The Negro Troops.

Two years were suffered to clapSc before
any extensive plan for organizing regiments
OF negro troops were undertaken. Recent
experience has proved that this was seri-
Gus loss of time to u.s. The colOred soldiers
have fought so well that it is not improba-
bic that if they had been enlisted in the
beginning of the rebellion they might in
many cases have saved us from defeat and
in other cases made victory more decisive
There is now Il general demand for negro
troops in all the Southern Departments, and
as their good qualities as soldiers are now
undisputed, we presume there will he less
difficulty than there has heretofore been in
enisting them. General Banks is n man
whose word will not be questioned, and we
think it proper to reprint here what he says
of the conduct of the negro troops in the
attack on Port Hudson. His official report
says:
son the extreme right of our line, 7 posted
the First and Third regiments of negro
troops The First regiment of Louisiana
Engineers, composed exclusively of colorcd
men, excepting the officers, was also engaged
in the operations Cf the day. The position
occupied by these troops was one of import
ance, and called for the utmost steadincss
and bravery in those to whom it was conf
dcd. 1t gives me pleasure to report that
they answered every expectation. In many
respects their conduct was heroic no troops
could be more determined or more daring
They made, during the day, three charges
upon the batteries of the enemy, suffer
NJ hold 81,
position at nightfall with the other troops
on the right Of cur lines The highest com
mendaton is bestowed upon them by all the
officers in command on the right What
ever doubt may have existed heretofore as
to the efficiency of organizations Of this
character, the history of this day proves
conclusively to those who were in condition
70 observe the conduct of these regiments
that the government will find in this class
o; troops effective supporters and de-
Tenders. The severe test to which they
were subjected, and the determined manner
III which they encountered the enemy leaves
upon my mind no doubt of their ultimate
success. They require only good officers,
commands of limited numbers, and careful
discipline, to make them excellent soldiers"
We have seen it estimated that the whole
number of colorcd soldiers in actual service
in our armies is about $1,000. Under the
stimulus of the recent successes, and the
cncomiums bestowed upon them, this num-
Der can easily be trebled or Quadrupled
The whole number Unlisted from Pcnnsylva-
MIA is said to be 1855 men, but these are
all credited to Massachusetts,, so that she
will. very uniuStly, be credited with men
furnished by Pennsylvania. We trust that
measures will he taken hereafter for organi-
2ing the coorcd men enlisting in this State
into Pennsylvania regiments. We ought to
he able out of our colored population of
about sixty thousand, to raise at least five
regiments. If the other loyal States would
furnish like proportion, the whole force
would he about twenty-five thousand men.
The cnlistments among the "ContrAbands"
in the Southern States could easily be raised
to seventy or eighty thousand men. Seventy
thousand able-bodied men are worth to the
Southern people fully sixty millions of dol
lars, so that while making this important
addition to our armies, we will be crippling
the slave owner in both capital and labor
This is the way to carry on the war, and
public sentiment which so long and stub
bornly resisted its adoption, is now persua- {
ded that it is the right way. The white
and black soldiers have fought well side by I
side, and now that the prejudice against it |.
is dissipated, we may expect to see the col
orcd race doing its full share in the future !
battles for the Union.