Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-08-01
The Mission of Alexander III. stevens
Employment of Negroes ina the Army
and Navy.
tFrom the New York Tribune. July slstl

RICHMOND, Va, July l6, 1868.
To the Editor Of the ". Y Tribune:
Sir In the almost vain hope of helping to
avert new horrors of war from which the
soul OF every christian citizen must shrink
with the prayerful wish, rather than with the
expectation OF saving your people and mine,
your government and mine, your cause and
mine, from crimes political and military too
terrible to contemplate without shudder, |
ask you to lay before your countrymen Ger.
tam most grave facts, affecting at once their
character and their existence as a nation. and
coming home with a most kindly warning to
the business and the bosom" of every man
among you who has interests to appeal to, II
conscience to rouse, or a heart to touch.
On the Sd day Of July, 1868, the Hon. AL
eXander Il. Stephens, vice president of the
confederate states of America ran down from
Richmond in confederate steamer. under n
flag of truce, to the mouth of the James river.
where he had conference with acting Rear
Admiral D. L. Lee, commanding your block
aiding squadron, as TO certain matters of state
L need not occupy your space Cor at least
your time, sir) with formal citations. You
know there was brief correspondence be-
tween our vice president and your govern.
ment. Mr.. Stephens desired audience for the
purpose of presenting to the consideration of
Mr. Lincoln certain propositions bearing upon
the spirit and conduct of the war. Mr.. Lin.
coin declined to confer with Mr.. Stephens
and MIR. Stephens returned to Richmond Not
to waste words in controversy, that Mr.. Tr-
bune, was, | believe, the end of the expedi-
ton. But not the end of speculations as to
its real object. The guesses of your Journals
have been far more numerous than the posi-
bilities. propose to disenchant YOU. There
fore this letter.
The vice president of the confederate states
was sent to ask the president of the United
States to cooperate with the former govern
ment in measures conducive to the cause of
humanity to the cultivation of the most chris
TRAN shapes OF wartare-such measures in
the llrst place, as might be agreed upon be-
tween them to tighten the troubles of prison.
ers, and alleviate the pains of the wounded
ana mad Mr.. Stephens been SO fortunate as to
procure the audience he so frankly and simply
sought, l, for one, believe that the mercy
OF his errand would have met with a proper
recognition. This, however, secondarily.
The primary object of the vice presidents
mission was to protest, in the name of his
government and people, against the mastering
ana armlng OF the blacks, which now cOnsti-
tutes almost the only clear features of your
poncy. lie came to implOre you in the name
OF people whose resources must have sur
prlsed you, of a government whose ability Won
have frankly acknowledged. of soldiers whose
courage and devotion and endurance YOU have
felt, to this contamination not TO come at
last He came to assure you, on the good
faith of his governments, on the simple truth of
his fellow countrymen, that not q Sinqle real
meHt or corps Of negroes has 0Uer been 6rought
INTO the confederate service, to be turned armed
against you. He came to remind you that
such negroes 'as have from time to time been
found on breastworks and in trenches have
been caught with spades only or picks in their
hands-tllat such as have been found in regi-
ments-an insignificant number-have been
In all cases body-servants, sometimes of OIL
GERS, sometimes OF prlvateS, who of their own
will, out of the love which you know they
bear us, have chosen to follow their masters
to the death And these you have found
among your prisoners. He could have told
you, if diplomacy permitted sentiment,
God save the mark y of many such 'chat-
tells" some of them whte-h haired. begging,
stealing, fighting their way home again, to the
cole missus" and the old place, with all that
left of young NASSAU lock of hair or
a trinket.
But no matter for that. He came to talk to
you Of Selt-preservation, of retaliation and all
that's shocking in the meaning of that word.
He came to tell you of the native devil that
has slept so long, to he awoke at last, in the
bosoms of simple, dependent, atfectionate
race. He came to implore you in the name
of God not to do this abominable thing.
Else he would have to fall back upon sta
tistics and the grim phraseologies Of war, and
remind you that the 100000 of negroes that
appear in the tablets of your census for 1860
are the working hands of both sexes only.