Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-11-09

army. they may be used to further that great
military end as vel a. 70 fight
The objection that the negrOes will give trou
bic and become dangerous Is reiutet BY their
docle and subordinate behavior during this var.
when 50 many Of the whites are from home, and
when the enemy has been pressing our armies At
all points Never have the negroes been more
easily managed or exhibited more su5ordination
or less sympathy for the Yankees than during
the wears Of this The many thousands who
have gone off and are now with the Tankees
went because they were demoralized by tie fight
Of so many whites from the Yankees, aud be
cause tbsy we're deceived bg the promises and
driven of by the military power of the enemy.
This war has failed 20 teach the negro the
lesson that his interests and those Of his master
are identical-thai his only friend is the master.
and that he can lind no peace with Sue Y ukees.
The suffering Of those that are with the enemy
has been told overaDd talked over BY those who
have remained. and the loss, though heavy upon
the master, has not been altogether thrown ava,
upon the negroes.
Ii is objected by some, that to give freedom TO
the negro soldier is 10 acknowledge that freedom
il boon, and hence that slavery is wrong--that
the strong argument which this war il teaching
the world, that slavery is the God appointed in
stitution for the negro, will be weakened and re
futed, II freedom IS given as the reward and
price of military service that if negroes re
quired for the army they should be drafted as
slaves. treated as property, when lost in service
paid for, and after the returned slaves TO
their masters.
But it should be remembered that whether
freedom TO the negro be really blessing or a
curse. many negroes desire it, and are willing TO
take il even from the Yankees. Freedom Is CIV
en- 10 the negro soldier, not because we must Of
fer TO the negro inducements TO fidelity. which
he regards "a equal IL not greater than those Of
fered by the enemy. The Yankee makes the
negro free at the North We offer him freedom
at home. Our correspondent, "a B." believes
| the negro would desert from Us to the Yankees.
aud calls attention to the fact tina; the negro
does not desert from the Yankees 20 US The
reasons given for this by our correspondent are
correct and proper The Yankee negro at pres
ent fears Us more than he does the dangers Of the
| Yankee service; but when once he sees negroes
/ In our army and understands that freedom and a
home in the Confederacy is the reward of ser
| vice in our army; that here the field of labor il
| open 10 him, while it. is closed 10 the United
States we believe that the tide of deserion
would set strongly in our favor
But "a B.. SAYS the negro will not fight. We
confess that at one time we entertained the same
opinion A distinguished general officer writing
to privately upon this subject eve wish we
/ COulu give NuC punt iut Ntl-il anu vi
| his name) this objection He says;
For. Gilmer. the other day, showed they would
fight. They raised each other over the paraDet
to be shot they appeared above" But fight
ing is not the only duty demanded of soldiers
In the Crmean war over tone hundred thou
sand men" were employ led outside of the army
The Work Party corps" of the British army
/ employed on roads, over ten thousand The
negroes are wanted. not only as soldiers. but as
IL -
| Organized and drilled, taught and instructed
they will make good and efficient soldiers Proud
of the respect that will be due them after the
war. they will be found useful and orderly in
| time of peace. A home secured them here o {
fers Inducements to fidelity which will greatly
aid discipline in governing and controlling them
! Their organization should give To the President
an unlimited power of appointment
Promotion by seniority and boards of exam
| liners l. played out in the army at present; We
hope they will never be applied to the army OF
blacks. The bravest and most soldierly pr
Yates of the present army should be selected for
company officers men who will lead the ne
groes, officers who will devote thei, time to in
structing and drilling them, not Only in the school
of the soldier the squad and The company. but
who will explain TO the negroes the nature oil
their duty as well as the rewards aud induce
ments held out by the people to fidelity and cour
age By mingiing kindness with hrmnesS, the
/ officers excite the selfesteem of the negro
and teach him to understand that. after the war,
he will be respected and protected by the white
man, and live in "Old Virginny"
We are not prepared to say that this measure
is demanded 10y our present exhaustion. We do
not believe il IL But the !a,ure must be pro
vided for, and it must be apparent 10 every sen-
sible man that the drain upon the population of
| the Confederate States, which this war has made,
must eventually exhaust those States unless
something is done to supply this drain from other
sources than the white population. The con
scripdon law cannot be extended to any greater
age and its execution, however much improved,
cannot find the men to supply the losses so fast
as the campaigns create them Shall we permit
the enemy 10 use the negroes against us, or shall
we make use of them for our defense?
Every man should weigh well this question,
and disconnect il altogether from the subject of
slavery, emancipation and other matters. The
negroes have their places in this fight, and whether
their place be found 10 our ranks or those OF the
enemy viii be for the Confederate Congress to
decide.
| They are already in the fight against us-our
own resources of men are being turned against
us. Shall we sit idly by, chattering about
slavery and emancipation. while Mimic balls from
muskets in negro hands whistle around u.s. Had
we begun this war with our slaves as we'll as with
their masters, Lincoln could not now boast Of his
1.-TWO hundred thousand colored troops The
pact cannot be remesied, but the future may be
provided for Reorganize the army, consolidate
the regiments. organize the negroes and peace
4 "a i'll follow