Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1863-11-26

But if Gen Gilmore has failed TO capture Charleston
after six months Of military operations heralded by mag
nfcent promises of success he has distinguished himself
in another He has coHtriUsd 10 make himself eI
eeediHgy unpopular pih The ccers Of the ootored troops
ohO share the dangers and than share the burdens %
the DdT They were appointed with the understanding
the part of the people certainly, and believe on
the part of the Government that they should make good
trained soldiers of the coored men, able to meet the re
bells in the field equal footing Of discipline and ca
pacty On arriving take charge of their men these OF
hcers told that the black soldiers only to do ateae
duty and that all military duty 10 DO performed by the
white soldiers The coored men therefore kept con
stanty at work in the trenches and opportunity s al
lowed them for perectng themselves in military exercises
and maneuyres They are employed IN dlggng-tneiI
exercises with the spade and shovel they are treated
as menlas rather than as soldiers ...
This is not the purpose for which we enlist coored
men We do it to enlarge our army to increase the mum
ber OF our soldiers to present more iofmdaoe ron W
the enemy to spare somewhat OF the boodshed 70 wnca
the white exposed and to elevate the character Oh
the black by admitting them to important duties and
responsibilities This the declared policy OF the Govern
ment, and if Gen Gilmore SITS h'msey IN opposition 70
he should be admonshd Of has fault By methods ptich the
Government has ben SOlo TO use IN other instances
hen has found commanding officers departing from the
line Of duty.
AT this rate the enlistment of coored will add
nothing to military strength At this rate the white
officers whom we send to command them should never be
called captains coonels, &C. but overseers askmasers
drivers Such, in fact the Practices are censurng
would make them and wonder not that their pride is
wounded by abuses Of this sort. The men whom they
command are not troops but laborers.
may happen that shalt be hard pressedby the enemy
that quarter and that the help Of the coored troops H
become necessary 1t will then be found that they are un-
drilled and undscipned-tha we have nominal force on
loot to which pay regular wages aud over whch we
appoint experienced officers aud which, although we hear
that those of whom it composed behave admirably, and
form excellent material for soIdery s not to be de-
pended emergency for the simple reason that no
pains have been taken to make soldiers of them and IN
fact attempt make soldiers Of them has been allowed
The Government should should look to this.
We hope that Gen. Gilmore will not fail to pro-
fit by these suggestions, but in the mean time we
do most earnestly wish that some General would
arise whose faith in the military capabilities of the
negro would be adequate to satisfy the demands of
journals like the Post. Until this is done, it is
idle to expect that such journals will ever be able
to perceive any other reason why Charleston is not
taken, or why Bragg and his forces are not inconr
tinently driven into the Gulf of Mexico. If the
Post is of any officer in the army, who is ca
pable of educing from our colored troops all the
undeveloped secrets of military prowess which
have thus far lurked in crcumsciiption and con-
fine" for the want of skill or will to evoke them,
we hope it will name him, and then demand at the
hands of the Administration his immediate ap-
pointmert at Charleston or some other point. But
simply to rail at G en- Gilmore because he does
not give due prominence to our negro troops in
the artillery practice Fort Sumter, without de-
signaling any officer who do better with color
ed gunners than he is doing with white ones, seems
to us equally unjust to him and to the President,
who retains him in command.