The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1864-12-28

General Lee ON the Negro Soldier Qses-
tien-The Richmond Negroes Running
20 Avoid the Draft. .rs. sn ~
In support Of an argument for the arming
Of the slaves Of the Davis "confederacy' in
the cause of Southern independence, one Of
the Richmond journals recently asserted that
General Lee was in favor of the scheme, and
that, such being the case, the question ought to
be considered as finally settled This state.
ment, it now appears, was no random assertion;
for Richmond correspondent Of the Liver
pool Courier, In Q letter to that journal OF the
9Th November, says he had been spending q
day with General Lee, who, in q conversation
upon the subject, said, ~ wish you to under
stand my views on this subject I am favor.
able to the use of our servants in the army. l
think we can make better soldiers Of them than
Lincoln can. He claims to have two hundred
thousand Of them In his service. We can de.
strey the value Of all such soldiers to him by
using ours against them. do not SEQ why
should not have the use of such available ma
terial as we'll as be. would hold out to them
the certainty Of freedom and homo whom
they shall have recdred efficient service He
has not given them home, nor can he give
them officers who can understand and manage
them so we'll as We can"
This. then, is General Lees opinion. The
writer in question further says that on the next
day he had conversation with the rebel Ad-
jutant and Inspector General Cooper, who
agreed with General Lee in his views, and
said, ~ would not await the slow action OF
Legislatures on the subject. We'have already
used them (negroes) in tho place Of soldiers
as teamsters and in engineer service. We
can use them in other ways. There is no
reason for delay. Let them be placed In the
field, and give them freedom for faithful ser.
vice to the State" The English reporter of
these important facts next gives us the infor.
nation that "the (Jeff. Davis) government has
inaugurated such movement by making,
during the present month (November), a draft
of free and slave negroes, nominally for the
erection o! field works, &C., but really to
drill and prepare them for home defence.
travelled to Richmond in a txxin containing
one or two carriages (oars) crowded with
these drafted negroes"
So far, then, as Richmond and the adjacent
country are concerned this question of levying
upon the slave plantations for black soldiers
to fight for 'the confederacy" is settled. But
how is it that General Lee has postponed so
long this last resort Of an appeal to Sambo,
with the boon OF emancipation, and why does
he now SO earnestly advocate this foolish
II 70
deprived OF all his negroes at Arlington
Heights and elsewhere, General Lee has still
chung to the fallacy that "Southern indie
pendence" would be achieved without uproot.
ing the institution Of slavery in Old Virginia
Hence he has been opposed to any change in
the old Southern status of the negro, as base
and treacherous creature, not to be admitted
even to the dignity of a negro soldier But
Gen. Lee has evidently become convinced that
whatever may be the fate of slavery in the
cotton States, the institution is doomed and is
already as good as gone in Virginia There.
fvro, liko The ION thst nod lost MS TAIL no in In
favor OF using negro slaves as soldiers, and with
the boon Of freedom and free farm to beot GO
their reward for faithful services. although the
grand result may be the abolition Of slavery
throughout tho South. What does be care for
the other Confederate States" il the institution
for the perpetuity and extension Of which they
all plunged into this war is Knocked in the
head in Old Virginia.
The trouble is however, that the Shareholders
in the cotton States, and some yet even in Vir-
ginia, to the west Of Richmond, whore the war
has not disturbed them, cannot see tho subject
in the same light in which it is viewed BY Cen
eral Lee. They cannot understand what they
their rebel corner stone of slavery. They
went into this rebellion to get rid Of the
Northern abolitoniss, and to secure the insti
tuition of slavery against their dangerous aboli.
ton agitations and designs. And what is this
Southern confederacy to US, the Georgia plan
ter inquiries, If we are to make 1t a confede-
racy OF free negroes? Would it not be cheaper
to abandon the concern at once, il we are to
give up slavery any how, and fall back into the
Old Union, riskng all the chances OF Lncoln's
emancipation proclamationss And what right
has the Confederate government at Richmond
to interfere at allin this thing Of slavery? Is Il
not purely State institution? Are we to have
not only emancipation forced upon US by Pres
dent Davis and his obsequious Congress, but
are we also to be called upon to surrender all
the rights Of the sovereign States TO an absolute
and remorseless central despotismf
The difficulties suggested in these inquiries
have prevented and will prevent any attempts
to levy soldiers for Davis from the slave plan.
tations Of his confederacy beyond the imms-
diate neighborhood Of Richmond. But the
strongest objection to any such scheme has
just been developed 10 General sherman's
campaign through the State Of Georgia. He
brought of with him some ten thousand able
bodied slaves. voluntary and rejoicing follow
ers He turned back for lack of traneporta.