The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-12-04
Value oFNegro Spiders

The following is a portion ola letter
addressed to Hon. J. NJ Edmunds, Com
missioner of the Land Office, by an off
Ger in the All U. S. COlored Regiment
now on duty in the vicinity of York
town, &C.:
"The regiment left Baltimore a few
days after | last saw you, and proceeded
at once to this place, where, as near as
we can learn, we are destined to remain
sometime. We had hardly formed ouI
camp when we were ordered, with five
days ratiOnP, on reconnaissance into
Matthews county, Va, TO disperse a
band of guerrillas who had long infested
that region. We started at 5 o'clock A.
NJ, arriving at our destination at 4 2. NJ
after having marched q miles. We felt
quite confident that we had done a pref.
ty "big thing" for a new regiment, and
on its first march, but when we were in
formed by some officer of the 9th Caval-
~, who accompanied rs upon the expo
dition, that during all their service they
never before had but one regiment follow
them as closely as we did, for the dis
lance, l think we were justly proud OF
our days work.
During our three days stay in the
enemy's country we had several opp0r-
tunities of testing their faithfulness and
vigilance as pickets, as well as their cool
ness and determination at midnight sur
prises by guerrllss and bushWhackers
To say that we were perfectly satisfied
is by no means doing justice TO our sol
diers, for soldiers they certainly proved
themselves to be, as they won the admir-
alton and received the compliments Of
every officer who saw them, not even ex-
cepting Gen. Wistsr, who commanded the
expedition, and who is by no means par
tial to cOloTed soldiers. Gen Foster, in
his report, compliments US highly and
adds, referring, to our march returning,
that we marched 80 miles in one day,
with no strsgglerF, which we did in just
II hours.
ave have since been on another raid
this time up to the Peninsula 20 within
% miles of Richmond. We met no bodies
of rebel troops, as we we're in too heavy
force to be attacked by them, but only
their scouts and pickets, with whom &C.
casional shots were exchanged. From
the surprise and indignation of the in
habitants on this route, 1 inferred that
cOlored soldiers, especially on our side of
the house, were new sight to them. 1t
was indeed amusing TO see the women
watching us as we passed-their indig-
nation overtlowing-but their threaten
ing fists, with which they evidently ex-
Pected to put our regiment to flight, only
provoked their laughter and shouts, 8 i'd
the retreat was generally made by the
attacking party. We were also Informed
by several others, that before we returned
we would ses 'chivslry' enough to an
nihilate all the 'higgers' Old Abe could
bring. But il | remember right these f.
Z. VS. we're very careful to keep outsi de
of rifle range, and after we returned,
made their usual boasts of what they
,0ould have done, had we not returned Just
t0asa zoe did. On this occasion, too, cur
men received the praise Of all who no.
ticed them and are fast winning a repu-
tAtion of which any soldiers might be
proud. In regard TO myself | am much
more pleased with my positioC than
ever anticipated as the troops exceed IN
efficiency my most sAnguine expectA-
lions"