Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1863-05-07
CONDUCT OF THE WAR.
Gen. Batter Before the Conduct OF the
War Committee-Gives a Very In
teresting Account of His Recruit
ing Business in Louisiana.

War C0mmittee-G1VeS very In .
teresting Account of His Recruit
ing Business in louisiana.
issued an order that any Confederate
soldier who choose to desert and leave the
rebel army, might come to New Orleans
aud register his name There had come in
to New Orleans. up to this time. some
thing ever 5000 men. who hud been SOL
diers in the Confederate army. and regis
tered themselves as paroled prisoners; so
that had in New Orleans nearly twice as
many men who had been soldiers in the
Confederate. army. as had of Union SOL
diers. had asked for leave, which had
been granted, to recruit my regiments
l recruited, in Louisiana. all of my old re-
giments up to the full standard. raised two
new white regiments. and four companies
of cavalry--all of men living in Louisiana.
They fought bravely at Baton Rouge
Dat of AGO men Of the 18th Maine who
were in line. nearly 200 of them were re-
cruits from. Louisiana. They, OF course.
were healthy men, not having suffered the
troubles either of Camp Parapet or Vicks-
burg. ordered eight dollars month to
be paid out of the provost fund to the wild
ows and mothers Of quite number of
Louisiana soldiers that were killed under
our flag, because knew it would take a
long time to get it from Washington. and
| wanted to encourage others to enlist
The proves, fund was made up of fines and
forfeitures, sales Of coniscated property,
and two dollars. charged for each pass,
DC. asked for liberty to raise five thou
sand native Louisianans, and raised near
" that number including recruits in the
old regiments. White recruiting began
then to fall off, because of the higher wages
beginning to be paid for white labor on the
plantations, In order to save the sugar
crop where the negroes hal left. l had
written to Washington reinforcements
but they replied that they could not give
me any, though they wrote that must hold
New Orleans at ell hazards. l determined
to do that, it for no other reason, because
the rebels had offered reward for my
head. if they could catch me. and it would
have beeen rather jnconvenient for me to
have lost it. White recruiting had come
to an end. and could get no reinforce
ments from Washington. aj F.soz e f1s
Upon examining the records | foun1
that Governor Moore. of Louisiana. had
raised regiment of free col ored people.
and organized it and Differed it; and
found one Of his commissions. l sent for
colored man as an officer of that regi-
ment. and got some fifteen or sixteen off,
GERS together-black and nulatto, light
and dark colored-and asked them what
they meant by being organized under the
rebels. They said they had been ordered
out, and could not refuse; but that the
rebels had never trusted them with arms.
They had been drilled in company drill
asked them If that organization could be
resusctiated, provided they were supplied
with arms. They said that it could
Very well, said. then ] will resuscitate
that regiment of Louisiana militia.
thersupon issuel an order. stating the pre-
cedent furnished by Governor Moore. and
in week from that time had in that
regiment thousand men, reasonably drill
ed and well disciplined; better disciplined
than any other regiment had there, be.
cause the blacks had been always taught
to do as they were told. TWAS composed
altogether Of free men; made free under
some law. a9s ca l-
There was.:a very large French and Eng
lish population In Louisiana. I ascer-
tanned that neither French nor English Law
permitted French or English subjects to
hold slaves in a foreign country. Ac
cordins to the French law. any French cit
izen holding slaves in foreign country
forfeits his citizenship. According to The
British law, any Epglishman holding
slaves in foreign country, forfeits f100
/ l thersupon issued an order that every
person should register himself; the loya|
as loyal; French subjects as French sub
Ijeots; English subjects as English subjects,
&C., under their own hands. so that ther,
could be no mistake in the books of the
Provost Marshal. That was accordingly
done. s'
I then said TO those who claimed to b,
French and English subjects: Accord.
ing to the law of the country, to which
you claim by this register. to owe allegi.
ance. all the negroes claimed by you a.
slaves are tree. and being free. / may en-
list as many Of them as please" And
accordingly enlisted one regiment and par
Of another from men in that condition
We had great many difficulties about it
But the English Consul came fairly up t
the mark, and decided that the negroe
claimed as slaves by those who had regis
tered themselves as British subjects wer'
all Free So that never enlisted slave
Indeed, it was : general order that nc
slave should be enlisted W
J In the meantime. was informed, from
Washington. that it would be desirable t
have Con gressional elections held IN tina
: part of Louisians which was under on
! control. The difficulty about that was
that New Orleans was divided into tw,
election districts. The lower distsict wa
! compc Jed Of the lower part Of the city o
New Orleans. and ell Of the State below
the city. The other district composed tn
, rsmsinder Of New Orleans. and all aloni
THE river above for sixty miles to Donald