The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1863-04-16

Letter. from Sold1er IN tlorloa--
ERects of Slavery in that State--Hfs
Opinion of Negro Soldiers, &c.
We are permitted to make the follow
ing interesting extracts from a private
letter received by alady Of this place
from a soldier in tho Union army, dated
"ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla, Feb. 21, 1863.
"The weather is beginning to be
quite warm. The leaves and grass are
starting anew and the peach trees are
in bloom, SO suppose spring has open
ed without seemingly having any win
ter. lni-'t
Everything in 81. Augustine is qui-
ct, although we have had some rather
exciting times here. An order came
few weeks ago, that every iOhite person
here, who had father, son, husband
or brother in the rebel army, OF any
one who refused to take the oath Of al
legianee, should be carried to Fernan-
dina or Hilton Head and be set across
the lines, so that the rebels would have
chance to support their own friends.
Our Government has supported them
long enough, while their friends have
been fighting against US. Here they
have been issuing rations to over two
hundred and fifty citizens. They did
not like to leave their homes, but they
had to, and make the best of ii.
There have been about one hundred
and thirty negroes enlisted in this place
aud gone to Hilton Head to join nc.
gro regiment there. am glad that
the Government has consented to en-
list the negroes; they are able and
willing to be of great service to u.s.
Why not let them help us fight our
battlesH | am sure that a regiment
composad Of such smart, rugged fellows
as left here would fight almost, if not
quite equal to the "Yankces." Their
tohole soul Is an IL. .
"That barbarous institution, slavary.
will soon be blotted out Of our beloved
country forever, and that glorious old
! hag-the stars aud stripes-will soon,
trust, float without spot ora stain,
over the length and breadth of our land
; proclaimiug freedom to all; and it makes
me feel proud that | can lend my fee -
Bile energies to help wash out that stain
: zone can. see the effects of slavery
here in St.Augustine very plain. Ev-
. ery-thing is more thar 6ftyyears behind
! tho times. There are but very fJw
} wagons here. The ladies ride mostly
: in an old horse cart OF on horseback
4 they cook mostly by fre-places--grind
q their corn with hand-mill something
like our coffee mills, turned by negro d.
e Draw their water out of the well with a
: pole, hand-over. hand, The people
e have no enterprise. Oranges are here
o a natural fruit, but SO sour that one
, can hardly eat them; when if they
=. would take little pains and bud them,
Q they might have sweet aud nice fruit
to almost any extent. 400 ~ 1.s 81 81
= "The roads, fenees, bridges, and every
G thing is out of repair, and although this
d is the oldest settled place in the Union
: there has never been free school in III,
r place, until few days ago, when oul
s folks started one to educate the negroes
IS 1t would have done any one good Il
have seen their faces brighten up wher
# we told them that we we're going to star
a school for the purpose of educating
e them. There is nothing moro of i'm,
r portance to write. We are living very
u well now for soldiers" at2