The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1866-03-27

from the start that wherever there was 8
STAKEHOLDER there was, prima facie, traitor;
and there could not have been IN western
Virginia a single Union man who could re-
ceive any help or encouragement from such
nroclamation as this 1t was simply a proc
iamation to the slaves of Western Virginia
and of the South generally, saying to them
in substance. " we will put down with an
iron hand any attempt on your part to give
aid to the Union armies
And that order was followed Up by other
orders. Here is an order dated July II; 1861:
iGeneral Orders, No. 39l
uzApQuARTERs DRP4RTNRyT WASHINGTON,
WAsIEGToN, July II, 1861
Fugitive slaves WILL under pretext whatever, be
permitted reside or be in any way harbored IN the
quarters and camps of the troops serving IN TINS De-
iartment Neither will such slaves be allowed to &C
company troops on the march
Commanders of troops will be hed responsible lot
Rtrict observance or this order.
Bv Command of Brigadier General Mansfield.
THEo. TALBOT, Assistant Adjutant General.
Now, sir, think you that General Sherman
could ever have made that grand march Of
his, if thus infamous order had not been re-
yoked He could just as well have made
ma-ch 10 the sun as to the ocean through
the heart of serfdom, with this order in force.
But long before Sherman made that great
demonstration which resulted in division
of the rebel confederacy, we had come tc
welcome the aid of the black man. instead of
saving that be should be put down with an
iron hand
Much has been said both in this chamber
and in the other, in relation to the opinion Of
President Johnson. ! DO not know what
authority there is for the dispatch which is
going the rounds of the papers and which
has been referred to but | have here one
which is just as we'll authenticated, but diff
ferent in tone from its predecessors. l will
read it for the info o-mantion of the House:
"President johnson in the course Of conversation
yesterday said that he would sign the bill enfranchis
ing the Of the district il passed"
And believe Mr.. Speaker, that that dis
patch is entirely true in point of fact. be-
lieve he will do it and believe that in less
than one year from this time these gentlemen
every one of them will be saying they are glad
Oft.
But was referring,to the great pains which
were taken by certain generals in the Union
side to make enemies of these colored men in
the South and that in spite of our efforts to
drive them away. Notwithstanding these bar
barous orders, they remained loyal to the
Government and rendered efficient aid and
comfort 10 our cause during the entire war.
Many poor starved soldier who would have
lost his life if he had remained in those in
f,meus prisons few weeks longer, owes his
return to family and friends to the aid which
was given him by these poor despised people.
You talk about their having no intelligence
or capacity. | tell you that when the history
OF the services of these black scouts of the
South comes to be read, it will create more
surprise than any similar developments have
ever created All of you have heard some
thing Of those instances of personal heroism.
will only allude to single Instance:
A lieutenant from one of the townships in
rhe county which have the honor to repre-
sent was one of the unfortunate men who
were incarcerated in those Infamous Southern
prison pens, and he was kept there until there
was little life left IN him. He knew that to
remain there was certain death, and finally
concluded that he might AS well die in the at
1empt TO escape as to remain there and be
murdered by inches. And here let me say
that the rebels circulated, the most Infamous
ISLANDERS in all their prisons against these
coiored men, so as to prevent our soldiers
from applying to that class for assistance.
They always represented when a prisoner
who had attempted to escape was captured that
he was betrayed by the colored people this
story they invariably circulated through the
prisons On the morning after a capture had
heen effected; and so persistent were these
representations that the prisoners generally /
were induced to believe them, and, therefore
were afraid to trust the colored men. The Off |
Ger of whom was speaking effected his escape
from the prison, and in company with other
escaped prisoners endeavored to make his !
way to the Union lines. When about four
weeks out of prison, having been tracked
by hounds, fleeing by night and hiding during
the day, they were one morning, just brfore
daylight creeping along feeling their way over
the ground, still hoping thatthey mis- ht posi-
bly, escape and fearing capture, when they
saw a human form approaching them. Find
ing that to retreat would be useless they kept
their position, and the stranger came closer
and proved to be a black man and
friend. He told them he had come to aid
them in their difficulty ,""and said that if they
bad gone on in the direction which they
had taken for half hour longer, they would
have made their way directly into a camp of
rebel cavalry, that he had been watching them
for some time, attempting to give them this
information and that this was the first oppor-
tunity he had had without being seen by those
rebel cavalrymen. He also told them that if
they would follow him he would show them a
place of retreat where they could remain in
safety through the next day, until he could
eome to them and guide them by path that
no horseInan had ever travelled. He was as
good as his word, and at the appointed time
he led the party, my acqI aintance among the
rest, over the mountains of East Tennessee to
tho camp of their friends. That was the deed
OF man whose race, it is said have shown no
capacity and it is but single instance among
thousands that might be cited to attest the
Intelligence and the faithfulness of the colored
man.
Sir, it is high time we had ceased to de-
spise these our humble allies in the war
Every word Of all that is uttered against
them here is base slander.
have not said all that / desired to say
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