Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1865-03-10
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MrRtin b. Eefany. the ColoFed Haio G.
IN fhe United States Army.
IFron the Titt.Dursh Di.pstoh,j

IN the United states Army.
[From the Fittsbarsh Dispatch,J
Martin r Delsny had been commission
ed Is Msjor in the United States Army.
Five or six years ago this item would
not have been teleTaphed certainly would
not have appeared among the special dis
patches" Why does it noW7 Simply be-
cause this Martin r. Delany, who ranks
every regular Csptain IN the serVice, is
1igger-as ublack IS the ace Of spades
one of those of whom it has heen said that
charcoal would make white mark upon
him r Therefore the Commissioning Of
Martin R. Delany is specially mentioned.
Martin IS an ebony milestone on the path
of Progress -
And yet Martin R. Delany Is not tha
first Hnigger" oompissioned. Negroes Of
Ltouisians, organized In military companies
and we believe with ebon officers, aided in
repelling the British invaders of New Or
leans, and were thanked therefor By Old
Hickory in General orders and similar, Il
not the same, organizations, were among
the first louisiana volunteers under the old
flag after that city was rescued from the
rebels. If we are not misinformed, there
were negro Majors under the United States
before Delany received his commission.
We knew him years ago twenty or more)
in this eity-not IS as ssuey nigger, but As
one who felt himself man, and was deter
termined to overcome the prejudice which
crushed himself and his race. Born in the
slave State Of Virginia, within thirty miles
Of where John Brown yielded up his spiritl
of q free mother, he early removed to The
neighborhood Of Ohsmberburg, Pennsyl-
vania, and subsequently tothis city. Here
he worked, We believe, IS a barber, for sJme
time subsequently SIS cupper and leecheF,
picked up some smattering of medicine, and
practiced among those Of his own colms--a,
Then he started 5 weekly paper, the Mys-
terry, which he published for some years.
and finally left for Canada and Europe.
We recollect well that when he was con-
vieted before Judge Patton for libel, "a
common thing among newspaper folk,
then) for publishing one Of his own color,
who was suspected Of betraying to the
police (for policemen used TO seize On irun-
away niggers' as lawful prey In thoss
days. fugitives from Southern bondage
the press Of the city contributed the amount
to pay his fine and costs, and this United
States Major was therefore discharged
as the records of our courts Ut was twenty
years sgo-s long time since, as the world
moves now Will SHOW
In England Delaney procured aid TO
carry out his long cherished idea Of visiting
the land Of his forefathers, and made some
explorations in Africa (at the risk of being
eaten up by the natives, for he was reason
ably fat which he duly reported to the
association under whose auspices he made
the trip.
On his return he wandered into soma
Il I'D -.
met In London, whether as 8 delegate
from Dahomey or Pittsburgh we never
knew-but much to the disgust Of Hon.
George NJ Dallas, then our minister TO the
Court of st. James, who-although he had
no better credentials than Delany, unless
it was q redder iace-thereupon seeded
from the congress in somewhat Of s pet.
We next remember Martin, after the
failure Of John Browns raid, as shoWno on
the trial to have been concerned in get
ting up plot in Canada for the liberation
of his race in the South,-in fact, as one Of
those who framed the Hconstitution for
John Browns liberated slaves. he did
not then venture this side Of the border
although he had committed no offense for
which either State OF National laws could
have punished him-snd, although We
have no doubt be has been active sinee, VS.
mad lost sight Of him, until we saw the tel
egrsphie announcement the other day Of
his appointment ss 8 msjor.
We cannot say Delany has ever shown
any more military capacity than the ave-
rage of our brigadier generals-we don't
know that he will fight at sn-but We do
know that he is aself-made and self-educs-
ted man, and we rejoice that without ever
having been selected by Congressman as
cadet at West Point, he has attained q
fair position in the srmy-knowing, as we
do, that he has no more energy and ambi-
tiOn than hundreds who outrank him.