Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1863-04-23
The Aiming Of Negroes.
Speech of Adjt.- Gen Thomas at Lake
Providence, La..-The Presidents
Policy Unalterable.

Speech of Adjt.-Gen Thomas at Lake
Providence, La. a..-The Presidents
Policy Unalterable.
FELLOW SOLDIERS: Your Commanding
General has so fully stated the object of my
mission, that IL is almost unnecessary for
me to say anything to you in reference to it.
STILL as | come here with full authority
from the President OF the United States to
announce the policy which, after mature
deliboraton, has been determined upon BY
the wisdom of the nation, it is my duty to
make known to you clearly and fully the
features Of that policy. 1t is q source ofex.
tremc qualification to me to come before you
this day, knowing as | do full well, how
glorious have been your achievements on
the field of battle. No soldier can come
before soldiers Of tried valor, without hav
ing the deepest emotions of his soul stirred
within him. These emotions | feel on the
present occasion, and / beg you will listen
to what have to say as soldiers receiving
from a soldier the commands of the Presi
dent Of the United States.
came from Washington clothed with
the fullest power in this matter. With this
power, | can act as if the President of the
United States were himself present | am
directed to refer nothing to Washington.
but to act promptly-what have to do to
do at once--to strike down the unworthy
and to elevate the deserving.
j can only speak briefly and cannot enter
into the details Of the subject ut present. -
II may be that some of you are b,ttcr &C
quainted with this country than [ am. but
all my early military lite was spent in the
South. know this whole region well. /
am southern man, and, if you will, born
with Southern prcjudlces; but | am free to
say that the policy am now to annennce
to you | indorse with my whole heart. You
know full well-for you have been over this
country-that the Rebels have sent into the
field all their available fighting men-every
man capable Of bearing arms, and you know
they have kept at home all their slaves for
the raising of subsistence for their armies in
the field. In this way they can bring to
bear against us all the strength of their so
called Confederate States, while we at the
North can only send portion of our fight.
ing force, being compelled to leave behind
another portion to cultivate our fields and
supply the wants of an immense army. The
Administration has determined to take from
the Rebels this source of supply-to take
their negroes and compel them to send back
a portion Of their whites to cultivate their
deserted plantations, and very poor persons
they would be to fill the place Of the dark
hued laboIer They must do this or their
armies will starve. You know perfectly
well that the Rebels had an opportunity of:
tered them under the Proclamation of the
President in September, to lay down their
arms and come back into the Union. They
failed to do it. Not but that the hearts ol
many men in the South were with us and
against the Rebellion. The leaders of the
rebellion, jeff. Davis and his satellites,
would not permit it, therefore they are still
In arms against US.
On the first day Of January last the
President issued his Proclamation declaring
that from that day forward all the slaves in
the States then in rebellion should be free.
You know that vast numbers Of these slaves
are within your borders, inside the lines Of
TINS army. They come into your camps
and you cannot but receive them. The au
thorities in Washington are very much
| panied to hear, and i fear with truth il
many cases. that some of these poor uufor
tunates have on different occasions beer
turned away from us, and their az plicatons
for admission within our lines have been re
fused,by our officers and soldiers. This is moi
! the way to use freed men. The question
came up in Washington, "What is best to
be done with this unfortunate rase?" They
are coming upon us in such numbers that
some provision must be made for them.-
You canuOt send them North. You ali
know the preiudices of the Northern people
against receiving large numbers of the col
ored race Some States have passed laws
forbddlng them to come within their Dor
ders. AT this day, in some States, persons
who have brought them have been arraign
CD before the Courts to answer for the VIC
latlon OF State enactments.
Look along the river and see the multi
tude OF deserted plantations upon its banks.
These are the places for these freed men.
where they can be selt.sustaining and self
supporting. All you will some day be
on picket duty, and charge you all if any
OF tins unfortunate race come within youl
lines that you do not turn them away but
receive them kindly and cordially. They
are 10 be encouraged to come to US, They
are to be received with open arms; they are
to be fed and clothed; they are to be a,mei.
This Is the policy that has been fully dc
termined upon. am here to say that I
am aul ulhorized to raise as many regiments
of blacks as can. | am authorized to give
commissions, from the highest to the lowest,
and | desire these persons who are earnest
in this work to take hold of it. | desire
only those whose hearts are in it, and to
them alone will give commissions. don't
care who they are or what their present
rank may be. do not hesitate to say that
all proper persons will receive commissions.
While am authorized thus in the name
OF the Secretary Of War, l have tho fullest
authority to dismiss from the army any
man, be his rank what it may, whom 6nd
maltreating tho freedmen. This. part of
my duty l will most assuredly perform if
any case comes before me. 1would rather
do that than to give commissions, because
such men are unworthy the name of sol
diers. ---..
l hope to hear that in this splendid divi.
sion, as know it to be, veterans as Ma.
poleon would call them-for you are veterans
Il hope to hear before leave that shall
be able to raise at least a regiment from
among you. | don't want to stop at one,
nor at t,co l must have two at least. Ii
is possible that can procure four. would
like to raise on this river twenty regiments
at least before 80 back. | shall take all
the women and children and all the men
unfit for our military organizations, and
place them on these plantations then take
fhase nd ,Nut ,ha.., -, a.