The New York herald., 1864-11-07
Arming Slaves In the south.
TO FHn uDvrOp A. ~u. u~w Am

II Dh0voO IN tho UOUG0s
70 THn nDlTOR o. TRD HDRALD.
me runor from the rebel States that In despera
Sion t proposed TO cali out and arm two hundred and
~ slaves to ave their sinking cause, may o.
may mol nave some foundation fact; but that II b In
tended for effect In the North We do NOS doubt.
the proposition, however, 10 not Q new An long
ago % May. isel the Memphis Bus~ proposed TO arm
the slaves and in New Orleans city guard was actually
organized out OF the 70 defend that place
How much good resulted from the effort was soon per-
Oeved by tho a Of the city before Farragut Butler
But the idea then mot abandoned. was again
proposed to four hundred thousand blacks aght
for slavery. The number proposed be raised is
but two hundred and ATTY thousand the savs popula
tion has been largely reduced by the vcsstudes Of
and the opportunities for escape.
The proposition attracted considerable attention In
England and In the columns Of the London Day OF
Oct. g. 1868, the subject carefully and calmly
sidercd. We quote Of its specuations they
far seeug not only but applicable at the present
moment
Reckoning says the article tho total slaves q. the date
OF secession at 1000 000 tho who have
into thct cderal lines, have North, at half
lion. the number who remain within the loyal slave
states and portions OF slave States reOcoupied by tho
Federals At half million mOre there viii remain three
millions within secessa proper. Now, the negro families
not hundred thousand or IL is little to
reckon one hundned thousand disabled age,
which, as we bave fcen excluded ha OF tie cplorei
volunteers of the West from tho Federal service From
the day therefore, that draft enforced it may
pc said that there VIII not he man slave remaining IN
the South who is not disabled"
But instead the numbers the escaped slaves beng
but half Million It is beyond all question nearly three
times as great And more than this, the pro-
posed could be put under arms, what theu2 The Same
article couJinues-
Freedom after the war, and City acres OF land hayo
urOD 10 he hal tn
Southern slave for taking up behalf OF his mas-
.ers-creda Jeeus But let Il be- Win personal free
dom satisfy the negro sodierY lie knows Of old he
was cheated by the while man; how, in the with
England in 1871 To 1913, freedom promised to the
half Of the American cause; and how the war;
coored troops mustered and the slaves quietly
oil to be returned 10 their masters.
But viii he fight for the South ander any circu,n-
BtancesY II is the opinion Of his knsmen who sue
ceeded in emerging this out o! tho fiery furnace Of
slavery That II Is TOO late to call upon him TO do
Hitherto certainly the South, though may put
arms mere and there into the hands OF some etcd house
servant or yellow niger" apng the white his
politics and his prejodces has not veniured
Que SINGLE cuo:cd regiment set OF against the
" or esnty of Inc iederas By this tne tho slave,
throughout the length and breadth OF the land
the CHARACTERIZATION proclamations, though he may not
choose TO run much risk asserting his rights under
them; he knows that day by day and OF the
most many and Of his brethren escape to the
Northern lnes the occupation Of Mikeus bend be.
tween seventy and one hundred In daily, ath ugh
the guerlas shot every escaping negro, aud never
wake Of the federal hosts or atteriy amid their
ranks, IN the full panoply OF He knows of the
savage procamations by which the arming Of mis- kps
men has been mot (snce August 1861 the South he
KNOWS that no quarter given TO coored prisoners till
the threat OF retaliation by the ederas G., by General
Hunter April 23, 1861 at last checked the massacrng
Of thcm that TO this coored soldiers and their oi-
GERS are denied tho rights 4 civilized warfare that
the officers and OF Colonel Streghts command cap.
tured In Alabama in June last, withheld from
change till now, simply because there negroes
states, he knows very likely how Negro tssS team
sters have beon kidnapped by his masters in
tho Coufsderasss Iatsrly invaded Mary land, they
swept OIL with them into slavery every colored
NorSern he Ss Western ne y s
heard Of the shooting in cold blood IN January last by
order Of the Confederate commander Colonel Wade Of
come eighteen negro cabin boys and cooks on board the
federal Transports captured and burned at Harpeth
Shoals the Cumberland river o. The afro.
coas murder OF twenty fugitive negroes 10y guerias
wearing the butternut UNIFORM Sibeys landing in
Missouri in April last; or or that worthy episode the
bloody burnlpg of Lawrence IN Kansas
by Qnantreli commissioned Confederate partisau the
shooting in cold blood OF twenty live negro federal
crus Is thought that those thugs-ayc or the re.
collection the negro regiments assaulsno Port Hudson
pine hundred strong, and leaving six hundred dead
WITHIN the deences, no quarter being givenure likely
to fan the bnck zeal IN favor OF the Confederate
cause2
The more recent massacre At Fort Pillow might 30
added to this list OF atrocities The article
coaclusion--
negro will not do We DOUBT greatly II henceforth he
viii be brought to fire upon the Yankees he
To do would evidently tie the most OF fol-
lies his part and the better opinion bo that.
II the South should oyer train coorcd regiments would
simply be saving the North the trouble OF doing
they would, the first appearance In the field
brethren in the federal servce, walk to Join them
s opinion that lf two hundred nfy thousand
slaves should join the rebels they would not merely
be with their liberation, but d.mand
tneir familsc-iadeed u the whole slave population.
More than this, believe they would take advantage Of
their position 10 against their masters their
eyter mutation
perfectly well understood In the rcbe, ranks,
and is admitted by captured rebel officers they
fear meeting the coiored regiments in armies
tnan ibc ne cnes, the ormer ngh, with erccGess
hitherto unparalleled In tho annals OF
Tue negroes vet remaining ID the South perfectly
aware X their SITUATION and what TO be the results
them if by IN arnistce, reconstruction the resora
tlon OF the former condition OF things is to take pacs
and knowng IT, is IL 10 be doubted for instant
they usled with arms tho first victims Of
experiment will be those who have go long matrea;ed
them o. p. q.