The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-11-14

3
. A BRAVE NEGRO SoLDIER-THE FLAG
} AT FORT WAGNER.-The following letter
addressed to the military secretary of Gov.
Andrew, of Massachusetts, narrates an in
stance of heroism in negro soldier which
deserves to go into history: ca
! HEADQUARTERS 54th Mass. Vols.
NORRIS ISLAND, s. c., Oct. Is, 1868. J
| COLONEL: IL have the honor to forward
you the following letter, received few
days since from Sergeant w. H. Carney,
company G, of this regiment. Mention
has before been made of his heroic conduct
in preserving the American flag and bear
ing it from the field, in the assault on Fort
Wagner on the 18th of July last, but that
you may have the history complete, send
a simple statement Of the facts as I have
obtained them from him, and an officer
who was an eyewitness:
| When the Sergeant arrived to within
about one hundred yards of the fort-he
was with the first battalion, which was in
the advance of the storming column-he
received the regimental colors, pressed for
ward to the front rank, near the Colonel,
who was leading the men over the ditch
He says, as they assembled the wall of the
fort, the ranks were full, but as soon as
they reached the top, ''they melted away"
before the enemy's fire "almost instantly
He He received rec severe wound in the thigh,
but fell only upon his knees. He planted
the flag upon the parapet, lay down on the
outer slope, that he might get as much
shelter as possible; there he remained for
over half an hour till the Second Brigade
came up. He kept the colors flying until
the second conflict was ended. When our
forces retired, he followed, creeping on one
knee, still holding up the flag. 1t was thus
that Sergeant Carney came from the field,
having held the flag Of liberty over the
walls of Fort Wagner during the sanguin-
airy conflict of two brigades, and having
received two very severe wounds-one in
the thigh and one in the head. Still he re-
fused to give up his sacred trust until he
found an officer of his regiment.
when he entered the field hospital where
MS wounded comrades were being brought
IN, they cheered him and the colors.-
Ihough nearly exhausted with the loss Of
touched the ground.
VI him as man and a soldier, I can
speak in the highest terms of praise.
| have the honor to be, Colonel, very re-
spectfully, your most obedient servant,
M. s. LITTLEFIELD,
Col. Com. 54th Reg Mass. Vols,
| Col. A. g. Browne, Jr, Military Secreta-
ry to his Excellancy John A. Andrew,
! Governor of Massachusetts.
THE INSTITUTION IN TENNESSEE
The APPROACHING ABOLITION OF SLAVE
RIVE are in receipt of important news,
of strictly reliable nature, through pri-
vate channels, from Tennessee. To di-
gress we will state that just one year ago
the Union men of that State, as body, OPP
posed the Presidents Emancipation Pro-
clamation, and in the city of Nashville, at
that time, there were but two or three 10y
g.
negro question in any way. If we mis-
take not, the President was memorialized
by the prominent loyalisls of Tennessee to
be leniemt in that direction, and to post
pone emancipation" and "confiscation.'
He did so. Mark now the change:
There will be presented to the President
to-day, memorial signed by eight hum
bred Of the unconditional, iron-nerved
| Unionists Of that State, one hundred and
ninety of whom are large slave-owners,
| the tenor of which harmonizes with the
| popular, radical measures and reforms of
the day.
Particularly, this document prays the
President TO guarantee to the noble uphol-
ders Of the Government their Sta e rights.
The petitioners boldly announce that they
will have no elections, and that they will
strenuously oppose the progress of all
State machinery until treason is thorough
ly purged from the State, and traitors
firm are determined that they shall in no
wise be made the subjects of dictation from
those who are disguised with, and disgrace
ed and ruined by, a course which they
heartily embraced, and steadfastly endors-
ed and encouraged until it tumbled to pie
ces. These loyal gentlemen earnestly pc
tition the President to "stick by them,'
and also pray Congress to enact nothing
which shall grant power or influence to the
scared rebels of Tennessee. What these gen.
tlemen mean by State rights is, that when
the proper time arrives, they shall rule;
or, in other words, they are determined
that the tens of thousands in that State
who have committed perjury by subscri-
bling to the oath of allegiance, through fear
Of forced emigration or loss of life and
property shall not be entitled to the privi-
leges which loyal men enjoy. There has
been disposition on the part of this peni-
tent phalanx to enlist the sympathies of
the authorities toward the establishment
Of the State machinery, which would be,
in reality, turning Tennessee again over to
the secessionists, and sending men to Con-
gress possessed of no national love or hon.
or. All these tricks are to be thwarted by
the patriots who have untllnchingly passed
the long dark night.
These gentlemen pledge to the Admins
tration an unconditional support, and in
glowing terms eulogize the enlistment of
Africans in their midst as national SOL
diers, and no not hesitate to declare that
the disemboweling of Slavery in Tennes-
see will be an immediate achievement.
A few evenings ago meeting of the
staunch ones took place at Nashville, de-
tails of which have escaped the public
prints. Some of the most prominent
Unionists of the State participated, and
the whole affair was a jubilee of patriot
ism. The speakers promulgated the most
radical doctrines, and unqualifiedly ten
derad their SnppOrt fO the ,aroceSS 1T i,oypa.
diately and thoroughly eradica,ing the
curse of slavery-the legitimate cause Of
the rebellion-from the State. In the course
of the evening, Governor johnson hap
PLY remarked, in reference to slavery,
that the State machinery could not be put
in operation again with any of its parts
corroded. He declared himself in favor of
immediate emancipation, and called on all
to encourage and assist in the enlistment of
negro troops. .5-
In conclusion, we can state from good
authority, that Tennessee is completely
4 hat t1,oI oxr, T,n 81