The daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1863-1864, 1864-02-18
The Freedmen i'm New Orleans.

Correspondence of the N. Y. Express, Feb, l5.)
The planting of cotton seems to be all
the rage. Those who last year worked
plantations on the free labor system, came
to the conclusion that it would not answer
for sugar making, and will, this year, turn
to cotton, and one might suppose that our
Commanding General was imbued with the
same cotton planting spirit, from the strin-
gency of his orders regulating free labor on
plantations. Indeed, the old and knowing
colored folks declare that they infinitely
prefer slavery as it once was, with their old
masters, to what it is now. Under the old
regime, their children were taken care OF,
and themselves carefully Dursed in sickness
but n n,w it is rare sight to see little color
ed children under a ctrtain age, and the
grown folks when sick are left to take care
Of themselves General Banks orders that
Colored Hospital be established at Alglers
across the river from New Orleans, and a.
mother at Baton Rouge. [ am told that once
before hospital was established at Algiers,
but was so badly managed that it was
common saying among the negroes that
whoever went to the "Pital," went to their
graves. So it is with the cotton presses on
this side. The mortality in these places, is
fearful when they are crowded, as they are
now, under Gen. Banks last order. Young
girls and old women and healthy men go
into them, and when they come out, they
bear with them the seeds of disease that will
render their future life burden to them.
There is one supposition current at the
North which. must here try to refuce. 1t
is generally supposed with yon that the
negroes fear their former owners, and the
people of the South To my own knowl-
edge this is not the case W here one ne
gro will seek employment of a person from
the North, at least fifty will crowd be-
seechingly round family known among
them to be of Southern birth and slave
owners 1 know of numerous instances
where negroes have been brought from
different parts of the country to the city,
by the army, and having found out South
ern families have lived with the morethan
year, rendering faithful services, rot for
pay, but for the comfort Of living with
people who know their ways and can make
allowances" for their shortcomings; and
what is very singular, they feed aud clothe
themselves. These neGroes are treated as
members Of the family, bat r have yet to
hear of single Southern family being
treated as was Major Lawrence, whose
fithfu! servant robbed him of S35, 900 one
night. Poor unfortunate negroes! their
fate is hard one. Dragged from their
homes, where the wants of the body were
carefully supplied, and where mental p'ea-
sures suited to their simple tastes were
furnished with lavish hard, they expect
ed to find Elysium in tue city and in this
unexpected freedom, but how have they
been mistaken? Those in the city find
themselves crowded together too close to
live. half naked and half starved, and ls it
any wonder that they turn to stealing and
bousebreaking2 | imagine that never be-
fore have women been kn, wn to break into
houses, as has been done by the freed wo-
men in this city.