The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-10-24
! Private kstter from the Army.

"A Private kstteF from the Army
i GooDRICH's LANDING, La. Sept. IL, SO.
Z Dear Father: There are three regiment'
Eof colored troops here, to-wit: LIST Mississ
fippi, LIST Arkansas and 10th Louisiana-al
lunder the command Of Brigadier Genera
Hawkins, who is in command of the Nortl
East District Of Louisiana. He appears u
be very much of gentleman and an eff
Gent officer, and don't override the thing a:
q great many do when they get star OF
their shoulder. From what l can learn he
was captain in the regular army and 1t
Col. on Gen. Grant's staff, before he was
assigned to this department. He is very
much liked by all the officers l have hearC
say anything of him.
| Well, Pa, I suppose as am Tor always
like to have my views on the question o.
colored troops, or as the Copperheads
call them, "Nigger" regiments; but they
may call them what they please, that dom,
make any material change in the efficiency
of them, or the necessity of calling them
into the service. I say if the slave will
make a good soldier, will stand up to du-
| ty, will make good sentinel, or can till
the place Of a white soldier on guard duty,
can learn to drill, and can load and fire a
musket as quick and accurate as the white
man, and has the courage Of the same, and
is, pro badly, more interested than a great
portion OF our army-if they equal our
white soldiers, why not take them as Sold
iers? We have the right to confiscate rebel
property, and if we can put it to use that
will benefit the service, we have that right
also. You may sing of King Cotton, but
that is not to be compared to the value of
the slave as soldier to us, or the loss of
the man to the so-called Confederacy. In
my opinion they are invaluable as a sold
Ter, made SO by a military necessity. Ifany
doubt it as necessity, let him come to the
field and ill his place in the badly cut up
ranks ofour army for ten or twelve months,
and think at the end Of that period, he
will look at it in a different ight-he will
begin to think that a couple Of hundred
thousand of black soldiers would be quite
a help. Now the question arises, aoilt they
make soldiers? From three months and
over experience with them, can safely
answer that question in the affirmative.
Again say if they will make soldiers, and
we have the right to use them as such, Why
not do so? I say put in use every means
to crush out this cursed rebellion. Ifhorses,
cattle or dogs will make soldiers-I say put
them in, too. ..
1 presume all of US that are connected
with this department, are heartily despised
by certain individuals at home as well as
elsewhere, but that matters not with me.
expected to be hung as soon as taken
prisoner when came into this department,
but / never was so unlucky as to be taken
prisoner yet, and believe the rebel au-
thorities have come to the conclusion to
treat officers of this department as such.
l was much surprised at seeing in the
Tribune an account of the new American
Emperor of Mexico from Austria. should
like to go out that way and help to start
those whelps out of Mexico as soon as we
get through this little job we now have on
hand. 1 presume they will appoint anoth-
er one next season to reign over the North
ern States. think they will get sick of
their job before they get through with it
yet. Between them and the Copperheads,
they would have things arranged beauti-
fully in the course of very short period of
time. 1 cannot express my contempt for
the latter class. l have a greater hatred
for them than the rebels in the Confederate
ranks. They are such a sneaking set of
puppies and cowards-are afraid to fight
for the Union, and are afraid to fight for the
party they uphold. If they are not patri-
OTIS they are traitors. If they are the form
er let them join our ranks and fight for the
glorious old tlag-if the latter, drive them
out Of our midst and let them fight with
the traitorous gang to which they belong,
and stop their bowling for peace. l never
saw a coward yet but what would hollow
before he was hurt. They had better make
1855 uOlSo WILLIE OUI DoSS are dl uOLle Ou
furlough.
used to be Democrat, but I am whole
sale Abolitionist at present, and expect to
be until the war is over. l am anything
at present that will assist our cause or BEN
eft the service. After peace is restored,
& hen shall talk of policies again, and shall
side with the party think nearest right
the one that think will stand by the old
Star Spangled Banner through thick and
thin. For the present, and until this diff
Guilty is settled, I know, with Douglas, but
two parties, patriots and traitors.
We have strict discipline in this depart
ment, and are striving to make effective
troops of our men. They learn to drill
very readily-I think fully as fast as the
white recruits. They make excellent sem
tinels and good fatigue parties. 1 have
never had any trouble with them, only to
learn them to challenge the Grand Rounds
correctly. In this they invariably make a
mistake. White men do the same, when
first III service. t,.
~ l. l.