The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-08-27

Gen. Sherman On Recruiting In
the Rebel states.
Gen. Sherman writes with the directness
of an honest and frank soldier in the fol-
lowing letter:
HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIV. OF THE)
MISSISSIPPI, IN THE FIELD,
NEAR ATLANTA, Ga, July 20, 1854. }
John A. Spooner, Esq, agent for the Cbrs-
sonweanh Of Massachusetts, Nashville,
Tennessee
SIR: Yours from Chattanooga, July 18th,
is received, notifying me of your appoint
ment by your State as Lieutenant Colonel
and Provost Marshal of Georgia, Alabama
and Mississippi, under the act of Con.
gress approved July 4, 1854, to recruit
volunteers to be credited to the States re-
On applying to Gen. Webster, at Nash
vile, he will grant you pass through our
lines to those States, and, as have had
considerable experience in those States,
would suggest recruiting depOts to be es-
tablished at Macon and Columbus, Miss,
Selma, Montgomery and Mobile, Ala,
and Columbus, Milledgeville and Savan-
/ do not see that the law restricts you to
black recruits, but you are at liberty to
collect white recruits, also. It is waste Of
time and money to open rendezvous in
Northwest Georgia, tor ] assure you that
have not seen an able-bOdied man,
black or white, there, fit for a soldier, who
was not in this army or the one opposed to
it.
You speak of the impression going
abroad that am opposed to the organiza-
tion of colored regiments.
My opinions are usually very positive,
and there is no reason why you should not
know them.
Though entertaining profound reverence
for our Congress, | DO doubt their wisdom
in the passage Of this law:
/. Because civilian agents about an army
are q nuisance.
2. The duty of citizens to fight for their
country is too sacred q one to be peddled
off by buying up the refuse of other States.
8. 1t is unjust to the brave soldiers and
volunteers who are fighting, as those who
compose the army do, to place them on .
par with the class Of recruits you are after.
4. The negro is in transition state, and
is not the equal of the white man.
5. He is liberated from his bondage by
act of war; and the armies in the field are
entitled to all his assistance in labor and
fighting, in addition to the proper quotas
Of the States.
6. This bidding and bartering for re-
cruits, white and black, has delayed the re-
Enforcement of our armies at the time when
such reinfOrcements would have enabled
US to make our successes permanent.
Z. The law is an experiment which, pend
ing war, is unwise and unsafe, and has de-
layed the universal draft which firmly
believe will become necessary to overcome
the widespread resistance offered US and
also believe the universal draft will be
wise and beneficial; FOR UNDER THE
PROVIDENCE OF GOD 1T WILL SEP
ARATE THE SHEEP FROM THE
GOATS. AND DEMONSTRATES WHAT
CITIZENS WILL FIGHT FOR THEIR
COUNTRY, AND WHAT WILL ONLY
TALK.
No one will infer from this that am
not a friend of the negro as we'll as the
white race; contend that treason and re-
bellion Of the master freed the slave, and
the armies have commanded have con-
Quoted to safe points more negroes than
those Of any General officer in the army:
but prefer negroes for pioneers, teams
ters, cooks and servants, others gradually
to experiment. in the art of the soldier, be-
ginning with the duties Of local garrisons.
such as we had Ut Memphis, Vicksburg,
Natehez, Nashville and Chattanooga; but
l would not draw on the poor race for too
large proportion Of its active, athletic
new homes and provide for the old and
young-the feeble and helpless.
These are some Of my peculiar notions,
but I assure You they are shared by large
proportion Of our fighting men.
You may show this to the agents of the
other States in the same business as your
self. ] am, DC,
Qsigned,) T. w. SHERMAN, Maj. Gem
Official copy:
I. N. DAYTON, Aid-de-C Camp.
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