The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1865-01-31
denendent and defenceless blacks by the

"
and deluded by false hopes or even COM
PEELED by force to follow in thew OF our
armies moving through Southern terri
tory, and then they are shipped off to
perish of hunger and cold on the streets
of some Northern city, or they are crowd
ed together in some wretched camp,where
disease, in its most terrible shapes, daily
sweeps them away by hundreds. And
this is called giving them freedom
The Abolitionists find fault with ana
denounce every general officer OF the ar
nv who does not furnish his full quota OF
negro victims to starvation. General
SHERMAN aroused a perfect howl OF IN
dignation among the radical abolltionlsts
and super-excellent "humanitarians," be-
cause he did not bring TO Savannah more
negro slaves An effort was made to have
General DAVIS censured because he had
DESTROYED bridge in his rear and left on
the rebel side of the river a few contra
bands who ignorantly, desired to follow
tbe army, He who makes raid into the
heart of a Southern community, and
brings back with him the greatest num-
her of freedmen" is esteemed the best
soldier and entitled to the highest praise.
The negroes, thus freed, are then sub
iected to ills more dreadful i'll their ac-
cumulated horrors, than ever were known
upon the cotton or rice plantations OF the
South. or ever entered into the magma
ton which portrayed the sufterings OF
Uncle Tom"
A large number of these poor creatures
has been accumulated at Beaufort, and
appeals for their relief are issued by
General SAXToN, the military Governor,
and various otherpersons. They say;
Good men and women at the North:
We earnestly appeal to you on behalf OF
the thousands Of suffering negroes whom
Gen. Sherman has just liberated by his
triumphant march through Georgia.
| Wherever he has borne our flag, they
have fastened to follow it with simple
| faith in the truth of the Government
and the charity of the nation. They
have arrived on the coast after long
marches and severe privations, 'cea'y,
famished, sick, and almost naked. Seren
hundred of these rretched people a17tred at
Beaufort Christmas night, ma state Of nus
cru ,ohich pouldkare moU6d to pity heart
of stone, and these are but the adUanc6 OF a
host no less destitute
The stores of the Government, already
overtaxed to supply a large army, are
not available to relieve their wants, and
unless the charity of the North comes
speedily to the rescue, they must die BY
| hundreds from exposure and disease.
| So extreme and entire is the destitu-
ton of the people, that nothing which
YOU can afford to give will come amiss.-
Clothing is their most pressing need, es-
peciallv for women and children, who
cannot wear the cast off garments OF sol
diers. Shoes and stockings, hats, sus'
penders, and under-garments OF all kinds
are hardly less necessary in this climate
than in the North Utensils, medicine
money. anything you have to spare
will find it's use among this wretched
people
H.G. Judd, an official of the Freed
mans Association" says upon the same
subject:
They have been fed by Gen. SaXton':
orders, and just as far as possible, will
no clothing on hand to dispense, at the
same kind hands have received whatever
the stores of the cOntraband fund coulC
furnish in the way OF blankets, and lin
sey to convert into dress to cover them
selves. We had few shoes, too small by
half for any adult. We have no stock
ings-we have no childrens clothing
no needles or thread for the making up
| of articles-no cloth for shirts or petit
coats. The supply of blankets is almost
exhausted. Two hundred of the foul
taken out are sick through exposure, ana
cofins 90 out each day to bury The dead is
| it necessary so say more to awaken the
strongest feelings of sympathy in theil
behalf2 But before this reaches y0u from
thres to five thousand more, eqnaly destitute
| ,uiH be laid upon our hands. WHAT IN
| COPS NAME, SHALL WE DO WITH THEM!
How offer them sufficient in the way OF
physical comfort ecen TO Keep them from
regrstting their escape from slaery'
But it is not alone in Beaufort that
the negroes suffer and die by the mista
ken policy which has caused the nation
SO much unutterable woe. In Washing
ton city ITSELF in the very shadow of the
Capitol where Senators and Representa-
tives talk daily about the crime of slave
ny aud legislate daily to give to the ne
groes freedom and the right to vote, hun
dreds of victims of their short-sighted
legislation are starving and freezing in
dark and pestilential novels A public
meeting with relation to the condition
of these suffering negroes was held in
Washington City, on the 10th. The fol.
lowing proceedings are reported. They
present facts which will speak for them,
selves concerning the humanity of aboli,
ton.
Mr.. Claiming read a report setting
forth the startling aud most heart-sicA.
ening condi ion of these wretched out
casts under the shadows of the National
| Capitol In June last the census showed
| ut least 10000 colored population in this
District, nearly all in the confines of this
| city. There are now not less than 10000.
| There are at least 900 families of these