The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-03-10
82 q S4a
Friday Morning, March 10, 1865.
Life in Charleston,

correspondent of the New York Tribune
gives very graphic account of many scenes
he witnessed in Charleston after its oceupa-
tion BY the Federal troops. He saysH naet e. a
The first national soldiers that landed ID
Charleston in the capacity OF masters OF the
rebel city, were the South Carolina negroes
(thank God y of the 21s5 u. S. colored troops
There was also detachment of the gallant
Massachusetts 54lh, who were the first ne
groes to demonstrate on Southern soil the
splendid fighting qualities of the coiored
race. They were the heroes of Fort Wagner.
where Shaw lies buried s'under his niggers,S
as the brutal rutiians reported. The Penn
sylVania SD formed the rest of the forces OF
occupation. Soon the star-spangled banner
hoated from the top of the custom house,
the citadel and the misunderstanding for the
first time here over free soil and people
free. Qal 5Ag- 2i2s
THE coLoRED GUARD.
Lieut.. Gel. Bennett is provost marshal, and
Mayor Willoughby assistant provost marshal.
Two companies OF the fifty-fourth Massachu-
setts are doing provost marshal duty. Atev-
cry public building the. tidy negro sentinels
can be seen, hating citizens, ordering them
back, or examining their passes. They are
well behaved gentlemen, and contrast very la
vorably with some OF the rebel citizens. /
heard OF one citizen, woman, who complain
ed of them as insolent. "Do the Yankees
trouble you" was asked of this person. "No,Y
she said, 'tha Yankees don't; but your ne-s
groes do.p They do not insult you, do
they P" mo, not me; but they do others.p--
"What do they do ?" "Ohl they won't turn
out OF the sidewalk for you, and they will 90
up to white man and ask him for light for
their cigarsp To appreciate this enornEty
fully, it should be known that it is part OF
the unwritten laws of South Carolina that ev.
cry negro on meeting white person on the
sidewalk shall give them the inside r. or
"the wall" Since one OF our soldiers went
into Catholic cathedral in Mexico, and iei
quested a priest to give him one Of the tapers A
to light his cigar at, there has probably moth 1
ing been done by American troops SO offensive
to the feelings of the natives of conquered
country, as was perpetrated when the first ne
gro soldier stepped up to one of the scions OF
the chivairy here and asked him for light.
THE MASSACHUSETTS FIFTY-FIFTH.
Ga tuesday evening, about seven O'Clock,
we heard prolonged and hearty cheering in a
neighboring street. / ran in the direction in-
dicafed by the shouts, and found that thes
Massachusetts 55th lcolofed) regiment had
just landed in the city, and was singing,
'fJohn Browns body lies amouldering in the grave
Imagine, if you can, this stirring song
chaEtsd with the most rapturous, most exult-
ant emphasis, by regiment OF negro troops
who had been lying in sight Of Charleston Tor
nearly two years-as they trod with tumultu-
Gus delight along the streets of this piossla-
very city, whose soil they had Just touched
for the first time--imagne them, in the dim
light OF The evening, seeing on every side
groups of their own race men, women,
maideDs and little children, who greeted them
with Joy that knew no bounds save that of
physical ability to express itself fully-imag
Inc them, as they finished their song OF tri-
umph, unite with equal ecstacg, in joining in
that other thrilling melody: 55Fe
Down with the traitors,
Y Up with the flag
Imagine them cheer, as only triumphant
troops can cheer, in honor of the "stars and
stripes" and you may conceive the sublime
and uaequaed scene that had the privilege
of witnessing On Tuesday night in Charles
Ton. e8
heard alieutenantin the 55th, in command
of Company |, give the der -" Shoulder
ARMS" and III minute after shook hands
with him, for he was acid acquaintance
Who do youthink he was? The son of VIM.
Lloyd Garrison! sflag aes'
LOYALTY IN CHARLESTON. . qal
There are few white Unionists here, but
they are chiefly of foreign birth, or poor, and
many of these are of the '1Union as it was"
sort. A number are beginning to claim that
they have ebeen Union all along but were com
PEELED to talk secession to save themselves
'.Why. you people here who claim to be I'm
ion, said to one of the prominent citizens,
s'seem to have been greater slaves than the me-
groes. You say you were compelled tosay
wnat you did not believe?' BE wiuced lit
tie, but replied: .'Yes, It's fact sir; you have
no idea OF what people had to submit to here
who were not fre-eaters." $500
BLACK AND WHITE LOYALTY.
There Are white loyalists in Charleston but
thus far they have shown themselves, with but
two exceptions, to be infinitely inferior to the
negro 10 courage. They take you by the but
ton hole away in some corner, or where they
are certain that we are all Northern men, aud
tell how they have always been true to the
Union. They are afraid to fling out the flag
afraid to rejoice openly with us; afraid to say
their soul is their own-Which is indeed doubt
full. But the negroes cheer u.s. bless us, dance
for joy when they see our glorious flag-pray
for us, fight for us, "can't love US enough" as
they beautifully express il. The negroes may
be an inferior race up North, but not down
here by good deal.
THE OLD NEGROES. = z - & s
In walking along one OF the battered down
streets OF Gilmore Town." Carleton of the
Boston Journal and came up to an old col
ored woman, whom he spoke TO as we passed
But she was not disposed to let US go on. She
prasued our hands, and told us how grateful
She was TO the Lord that we had come. She
was 60 years old, she said, but she danced fol
inv on Saturday. And she sang song then
which She Immediately sang to us. IL was
one of those simple chants for which the ne.
0roes are neutrality-suspicious. Of the same lines
with n certain rythm but without rhyme
sweetly sung in plaintiVe tones:
'Yss long been a-comin' '''&e.
Myou ara glad the Yankees .are come
4hon 81 said Carleton. 80! chile," she said
Sf can,t hress de Lord enough But does
-. oai won Yankees" ''What do you cal
No then 81 II call you Jesuss Aids, and
oau non,s head man de Messiah" She wen
nm in the Singular w2y in which the negroe
exnress their emotions Of religious gfau'ud
= for II is worthy OF note that these coio,s :
naonle who are of piDus turn invariaoi
bIoss ne "a the agents of Providence, and CAV
nnto Cod all the glory. Il can't bress q
T'ord enough" and .Bress you, chile. we can
love YOU enough" are phrases tnaI nav
heard here more than once in walking aioh
the streets. The last words OF the OLD negres
were as fine as anything / ever heard ines
GOOD neopIe utter. "When Mr.. Gilmore hre
Se grnsn she said, looking upward, "ano
heor de- shells sailin' ober my head sa
tCome dear Jesus and feel nearer TO Hea
hen dan ever feel before"
THE WHITE WOMEN
A., Frolish woman told us that 1t ws
.An;no n see how the women urged thei
Sa.Sars SlsSs husbands. and soDs into the army a
az asrlv stage OF the rebellion. Preacher
snS 1oroen brought on this war;" said an Of
colored man. speaking of this same thing
G - doeiarod she would set IRE to he