Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1864-02-27
The Rebel C0ngress-Imp0rtant Debates-The
Employment Of Blacks In the Rebel Army.


On the 10th ult., the rebel House of Rem
had before it the bill "a amends
tory of the act 70 put an end to the exemn-
ton from military service of those who have
heretofore furnished substitutes" In the
course Of the debate, Mr.. Smith, of North
Carolina, said, the whole number of men on
the muster rolls was 100000 but that prohs-
bly, less than half that number were actuslIv
in the field, and it was well known they were
unable to feed these. And he asked if these
200, 900 required the seizure of half the nro-
visions Of the country, where were tbey 10
find the means to feed ten times that nnrnber
who remained at home. He declared that the
operation of the bill-would- be to break nm
the farms and reduce the agricultural interests
to naught; and that private appeals were dali
" coming to members of Congress from the
army speaking of the suffering at theirhomes
and stating that their families are wanting the
necessaries of life when they are unable to
send them any part of their scanty paw The
prospects of starvation at home and the def
cheney of food in the army, he said, drive
many, to despair and desertion. Vireinia
n ember stated that there was as great a def.
cheney in manufactures and clothing az in
food, but believed there was enough Of the
latter to feed twice 100000 men, and thew
must be had by Spring, as the next campaign
viii be the heaviest and most decisive that
viii occur. Another Virginia member said.
on the authority of the chief of the Conseript
bureau, that that State could not stand an
other draft. Still another member declared
that the bill would add 1O0,O 600 men tn the
army, and it was not possible to escape star
walton when there were none at home to pro-
vide for them. In Virginia, he said, the last
crops were far below the average, their space
had been contracted, and all must now be de-
voted to the production of provisions for the
next year, and if the men were taken away
starvation at home and ruin in the army
would be the inevitable result The bill
however, passed Al to 81, and provides that
| each person exempted shall devote himself
| and the labor he controls to the production
| of provisions and family supplies that there
| shall be contributed for the use of the army
from every farm, besides the 1.-THE required
BY tax, an additional tenth of all the pork or
bacon produced; and that if required, the
persons exempted shall sell all their surplus
provisions for the use of soldiers families or
| the army at prices fixed by commissioners.
| On the lst of February, bill was under
debate for the increase of the army by the
| employment of free negroes and slaves. It
was stated that its passage would bring 40
600 more troops into the field. A heated dis
cussion ensued, and doubts we're expressed Of
| the fidelity of the negroes on one hand, and
| strong hostility was eyinced to their being
| made equal to the whites as soldiers on the
other, but the friends of the bill argued that
its effects would be to employ the negroes in
mental services in the army, and increase its
efficiency by placing able-bodied whites, now
performing those services, in the ranks. The
bill finally passed, and provides that all free
negroes between is and so are liable to mill
tary duty in the way of working on fortifiea-
tions, or in the production of material of war,
1 or in the hospitals, for which they are to be
paid $l1 per month. 1t also provides for the
4 employment in similar duties of %, O00 slaves,
| whose owners are to be paid Sll per month
for their services. The Secretary of War is
empowered to impress the latter, if there is
any deficiency after impressing the free ne
grOes said impressment to be made at the
rate of one in every FIVE slaves, in those dis
tricts the products of which are least availa-
BILE for the use of the army or remote from
facilities of transportation.