The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1864-01-12
From the Raleigh Journal
THE NEGRO TROOPS AT ELIz8Brru
GTTY

OlIx.
We have authentic details of he cuaducf ~ the
! negro troops aud their cpmmaadcTs ga the occa.
| sion Of their late trip 70 EuEabe, Gu&A g.. sud
] while on the retreat ... p. .. ..... :,
The expedition was commanded bt Brsali,r
! General Wilde, and consisted of W. rvtrmcni- ui
| negroes, one OF which was commanded bN Ex.UOv
Todd, Of Ohio They landed at Elizaneth Cry
on Friday, 18th December, and spent some eight
days before they returned during which they de-
stroyed ten buildings in the Counties ui Pi-quo-.
tank, Camdcn aud Curriiuck, aud Uug,agro sud
plundered the people in the most b,artlcss a,an.
| ner. Whilst in Elizabeth City the officers were
al quartered the most respectable families, in
discrininatey (the commissioned officers being
white, the commissioned blacks.) aud did not
pay q dollar for anything they received In most
cases they compelled the white ladies TO cook snd
wash for them Reporting at Wde's beadqusr.
! tiers daily, they were questioned to know it they
had been treated as gentlemen" and particularly
| if any of the male members Of the tamihcs they
were quartered on talked secession doctrine.
On the streets the ladies OF the place we're jos-
| tied by the negro troops and had to permit them
| to walk by their side aud converse with them. on
pain of arrest aud punishment for insulting "Unted
| States Troops" Any information laid by negro
agiinst man woman was received rs CONCLUSIVE
evidence and brought swift punishment upon the
alleged offender The negroes ran riot during the
Yankee stay in the Albenarle country
The commands OF Capt j. L. Elliott Goth N. G.
Troops, and Capt Sandlin, came up with these viii
ians twice and succeeded in killing some forty or
fifty of them and wounding many moro. They
fed like wild deer on being fred upon and were
shot as they ran. A bright mulatto was captured
and mistaken for white man and sent rs q pris.
oner to Richmond, by Capt Elliott. On lesrnidg
this, Gen Wilde seized three ladies, md relative
of Capt Elliott and ironed them and took them of,
notifying Capt 4. that If his negro soldier was
hanged he would hang the ladies. Capt. E. re-
piled that be would do bis duty uuawed by the
Generals threat
With these helpless women n number Of meu
were also captured All of them were kept con-
fued in the garret story Of house in Elizabeth
City-in room-the women being made to
cook for the men, and this for several days
One of Col II Grifin's men, 62d Georgia cav
airy, was captured and on the bare ststempuI Of a
negro, was hanged by General Wilde MS a guerilla.
This murder ordered and Witnessed by Wilde
On the Yankee retreat he was tGk"n With he
other prisoners, far as HiutOns Grass ruads a.I
there in the presence Of rhe wGn.n and rho ne
gro troops he was harged irrm eros. beam oi an
old house, where his rea,sius were 'ouaa surty.
eight hodrs afterwards by his Colobri ,md bu,ici
with military honors. On the hack If the mur
dered soldier was u label with the fnll"sing words:
"Here hangs q, guerilla of Pasduotaik county,
Daniel Bright, by order Of Brig Gen. Wiki"
The unfortunate mans name was Daniel Bright,
Co j., SD Georgia cavalry.
Col Griffin after overcoming many obstacles,
travelled sixty miles TO upon these murder
ers and thieves, but hearing of his approsch they
fled. The Colonel had the melancholy satisfaction
of recovering the body Of his murdered fsllo& sol.
der whose death he will have the qualification of
sVengirg by hanging the first Yankee who falls
into bis hands.
We have not space to nsrrste the many heart.
less cases of cruelty perpetrated by these 6auds
One or two cases will suffice as examples They
entered the house occupied by ihr wrle OF Captain
Elotts QnaFteralastor As the poor woman SAT
at the hre she saw them deliberately cat a ho- IN
the middle Of the floor aud build fire therein 20
consume her house her. She asked thcni II
they could do That. They replied they could aJd
would. "Then burn" wac the ady's patriotic re-.
sponse, "and .Pll be a sironRer,C on fsdernie than
ever" little before daylight the woman 8 hus.
band returned and found his vile aud tour cbil.
dren hudded together in the corner of lence in
sight Of the ashes OF their late home
La one other case they fred a residence without
giving any notice to the sleeping inhabitants who
acre saved from death only by tho timely waking
up of q faithful slave.
We have strung these incidents together with
out regard 10 their Legitimate connection aud from
memory Or their general accuracy our readers
may have NO douot, for the facts were received by
Us in person. fruni Col. Critic and Capt Elliott
The part taken by these officers In the matter gave
them full opportunity for all the facts Cspt Ei-
lott and Capt Sandlin hung upon the heels Of tho
scoundrels for many miles and killed and wounded
and captured Us many Of them as their oNh oom-
mands consisted OF. Col Griffin, in conseauence
OF circumstances that We do not feel at liberty 10
mention, did not succeed n coming up with them,
or there would have. been very different result.
The Colonel vows his determination To- hsye YsM-
kee blood for that Of poor Bright, and no will keep
his word.
The force of Col @. is not saf6ciout for the sx-
tent of the command, aud We trust that General
Pickett will strengthen it,
In corroboratiOn Of the above, wo give the fol-
lowing received from Chaplain in the army;
Mr.. EDlroR On last Sunday detachment
Of the eth c. 8. Cavalry buried with military hon.
orr, the body Of Confederate soldier found hang.
ing 10 an old school house, placarded on his back
rs follows:
This guerilla, Daniel Bright, OF Pasquotsnk
county, n. e.; is hung BY order Of Brig Gen Wilde
Let this he warning to al gueriIlas II found in
our iincs they shall share the same fate"
This is the hellish work of the negro regiments.
who, on leaving the dead body, carried away two
ladies', tied hand aod foot one the wife Of iieut
Mundsos the other the xifs Of private Of che
Confederate army.
Wonder il any respeetsbie white naa I'm chi.
ststs is willing 20 submit 10 Linesluism nov?