Weekly national intelligencer., 1864-03-24
4 MILITARY oUTRAeE IN MARYLAND.
UPPER MARLBOROUGH,
lnce GeOkees EaunL1l Nd hfnrch IL 1854

+ UPPER MARLBOROUGH,
frshoe Georges County, (Md March l3, 1854 I
To the Editors Of the National Intelligencer
GENTLEMEN: ask the favor Of you in the interest Of
public order to take notice Of circumstances thai
recently occurred at this place and which rather exceeds
IN auoacy any OF the many military outrages which you
nave YET chobc'ed having been witnessed in MARY land
On the afternoon OF tho 9Th instant large detachment
OF negro soldiers from the late camp Of Gen. Brney at
Benedict, on the lower Pauxept, arrived at tins place
under the command Of Lieut. Col. Perkins. They
were accompanied by large crowd of runaway slaves
composed of all ages, sexes and conditions but princi
pay OF women and small chdrenlnauy of them infants
IN arms-who presented most forlorn and deplnrable
appearance The courthouse taken possession OF
aud occupied that night.
On The morning of the Och armed squad of the negro
troops entered the county Jail in which confined
twenty Two PERSONS two white and the rest colortd
One OF the white men, named Magruder c0nned for
larceny and the other for wholesale abduction of slaves
There We're eleven confined for various crimes One "a
woman) was under indictment for attempting poison
white family, and awaiting trial Another Ca boy)
had been already convicted of and awaiting
sentence which had been respited until April term OF
court Several we're awaiting the action OF the grand
ury on charges CT larceny aud several others for abduc
ing negroes with their masters property, &c The
mandrr We're confined various ther criminal charges
hH J these criminals (wth the exception of Magruder,
whose case i probably the mildest OF ally oreby
released 6y The negro being the only
left Ia he JAIL. Kemp (tDe other white MANI set at
liberty az he informed the squad th, he there
under charge of running off slaves The released par
ties were received with huzzahs the negro troops with
whom they mingled and by whom they were protected
They left with tho troops Tor Annapolis.
Lieut. Col Perkins upon being demonstrated with,
stated that his orders had been to take of Jail only the
abebodled negro aud attempted to throw the
Of the escape Of the others the jaor But all
released by bis armed sqad without any interference
from him. nor did he make any effort to deliver any of
them.
After the departure Of the troops and prisoners the
Sheriff of the county arrived here and having heard what
had been said by the Lieut. Colonel promptly followed
aud overlook the party at the village of Queen Anne
the road to Annapolis lie made every effort to have the
prisoners given upat least those unavailable for military
duy-but without avail. The Lieut. Colonel professed
to favor his request but the idea of complying with il
spurned by other officers and the prisoners refused Some
Of them went far to intimate personal violence
to the Sheriff
Some gentlemen having commiserated the condition Of
the struggling negroes the Lieut. Colonel said they
allowed to follow because his orders not to refuse
protection to any slaves who might wish to 60 He
pressed himself to gentleman ashamed of his posi-
ton in having to act in such He further said
that they would nearly all die off few montts and that
the policy Of the Government to eIterinate the
My desire is to have these facts made known through
the influential columns Of the Integencer and to inquire
if it is possible there be any military order which
authorizes subordinate officers to recruit their ranks by
orcbly taking abebodied criminals from our jas
The prac ca effect Of policy, if continued is to
grant efficient protection to the negro In the perpeta
tion Of any crime outrage. An occurrence sGch
his, within eighteen miles of the national capital ought
surely to meet with the attention it deserves
MARYLAND.