The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1865-01-29
SUNDAY, JANUARY %, 1866.
Aiming the Slaves.

ing o. slaves. According 70 nm the
plan Is about as follows
The measure is 70 be an exceedingly
gradual one The number Of slaves 70
BE- armed at first and for the frat year,
will not exceed forty or fifty thousand
men They viii be formed into regi-
ments Of Eve hundred men in each, IN
der white officers and drilled and dis
ciplined, as well as armed, exactly like
the white soldiers They are rot 10 be
led into battle the first year Their
disposition and temperament as sol
diers under arms are 10 be studied and
they will strengthen the Confederate
armies By relieving from garrison and
guard duty white soldiers. Ia guard
ing railroads and bridges they viii ca
der efficient service Particular atten~
ton is TO be paid 10 their instruction
in regimental drill and tactics.
The second year the negro regiments
are 10 be recognized, one thousand
men in each. They are then TO be bTi-
gaded, four regiments to brigade, and
attached 10 the various brirades IN the
field. This year they will participate
IN all the actions in the field, and their
Their or not the experiment will be sue
cessful. In the mean time, one hun
dred thousand more negro men will be
undergoing the same reg mental train
ing By the third year the Confederate
leaders expect TO have one hundred
and fifty thousand Of these negro sol
diers in their armies, regularly organ
lied in divisions by Themselves 1t
viii be uudeIs. cod that they serve, and
fight as slaves.
After a certain period of faithful ser
vice. however the negro soldier will be
rewsrdt d with freedom, and the means
Of obtaininga comfortable LIVELIHOOD.
This scheme, it viii be observed, is
designed. to make the slaves most use
fal in achieving Southern iDdepend-
ence. It looks to an indefinite contin-
uance Of the war, and it reckons upon
the entire fidelity of the negro. Free.
dom for himself and the freedom of his.
family are not promised him at the
outset, as a reward for bearing arms
They come to him only after long ser,
vice, and only as the result Of fidelity |
and capacity
1t Is sometimes said that the South |
ern negro will fight for his master. On |
the other hand, it is claimed that he /
will not, and thst 10 arm him is to
plant an enemy In the very households
Of the South This last statement is,
by many, regarded as a delusion, and
as belonging 70 that prolific class Of fall
lacies swept away by the war Four
years ago we could end the war in
ninety days, the rebellion was a bub-
bic easily burst; the South did not
mean to fight they would soon be
starved into submission; negroes would
not fight they would all run away 70
the North; one Southerner could whip
five Yankees; the Rebel army would
be reviewed Oh Bunker Hill in less
Jhah six months &c, &c These are
samples of the decisions ardently cher
ished four years ago, and most Of which
have been thoroughly dissipated. One
thing to be noticed, however that
wherever our soldiers have been, eth
or in armed bodies or as trembling fu-
gitives from Rebel prisons, they have
implicitly reposed confidence in the
Southern negro, and have never failed
20 find this confidence worthily be-
slowed That such would be the case,
was not predicated before the war 1t
was believed to some extent, but few
asserted it Every day has yielded
fresh proof that the Southern negro,
however much he may be devoted TO
his master, is thoroughly penetrated
with disloyalty to that relation, and
that he welcomes his masters enemy
As his own friend This cannot be de
MED, and being so, can 1T be safe to
place arms in such hands, Let the fu-
ture answer
. 1t may be said that the plan above
stated involves long training
and a vigilant watching Of the
slaves so armed If they are real
ly faithful whyis this necessary Two
hundred years Of servitude have worn
upon the negro race in America, and
have wroughtin IL such craft that il has
been able to earn the praise Of entire
fidelity and utter docility. The first
temptation shows how falacious is the
claim, and how readily the negro aban-
doned loyalty to his master in order to
show devotion TO his NoI thern friend.
So year OF careful training in camp
may make a good soldier of the negro.
and apparently develop his disposition
70 6ght for his master Can the mood
50 cultivated be more relied upon than
that which has already proved so base
less2 Ifhe is untrue to the depressing
Influences oftwo csnsuuies Of enforced
fidelity will he be more loyal TO
twelve months special tutelage with
arms IA his hazrds, which he has but to
turn upon those who equipped him TO
be free and AVENGED? Let US see wheth-
er time will dispel this illusion also
We feel sure that the negro never will
make a good soldier, fighting for bis
master, and his slavery.
But admitting that lac does hew are
the rebels 10 carry on the war. during
the two years preceding those in which
the 10000 slaves are 20 be trusted IN
the ranks That is a problem we
should be glad TO see solved