Charles City intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa) 1864-1866, 1866-04-19
The Rebel Army Doing it's Work.

The Rebel Army Doing it's Work.
The rebel army, in nearly all me
States, has been reorganizing under
| the name of militia" To break up
this organization Senator Wilson of
Massachusetts, introduced the follow
| ing joint resolution:
That all militia forces now organized or
| in the service in either OF the States of Vir-
! ginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Ala
bama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, be
forthwith disarmed and disbanded I; and that
the further organization, arming or calling in
to service of said militia, or any part thereof,
is hereby prohibited under any circumstances
whatever, until the same shall be authorized
by Congress"
To show the necessity of the resolu-
tion Mr.. Wilson read letters from Gen
erals Thomas, Swain, Hartsuif, and
others in charge of freedmen in the
South. Gen. Thomas says:
"Nearlyal the dissatisfaction that now ex.
lists among the freedmen is caused by the abu-
sive conduct of the militia. 1t has assisted
10 paralyze labor and add to the combination
of difficulties under which the State has la
bored. Only short time ago Gov
Humphrey admitted to me that two compa-
nies of the militia had sworn that i'm their
counties no negro who did not work for his
old master, and no Yankee. could live that
they would drive out the thieving Yankees
and sheot the niggers.'
Gen. Tillson, a. graduate of West
Point, commanding in Georgia, writes:
In almost every case, as heretofore repor.
ted, the withdrawal of troops has been follow
cd by outrages on the freed people their
school houses have been burned, their teach
ers driven off or threatened with death and
the freed people, by fraud, and even violence
made to enter into unjust and fraudulent con-
tracts. Ii requires the most careful nursing
and culture To keep alive even show of JUS
tice toward the freed people. Nearly all the
females and young men are open and defiant
in their expressions of hate for Yankees and
negroes. large number oe troops is not re-
quired, but the highest and best interests of
the State, as well as of the freed people, re.
quire an addition to the force now in the de-
partment.'
Gen. Howard, brother of Gen. o. O.
Howard, writes also from Georgia
izations only endanger the peace of the com
munities where they exist, and are a source
of constant annoyance and injury to the
freed people; that herein is one of the great
est evils existing in the southern States for
the freedmen. They give the color of law
to their violent, MUST, and sometimes inhu-
man proceedings. | would earnestly recon-
mend that these organizations be abolished in
these States for at least several years TO come /;
and that some suitable substitute be institu-
ted as a general police force, to preserve order
and maintain the laws until il again becomes
safe to show the organization of militia
An army officer in Texas, whose in
telligence and reliability are vouched
for by Senator Wilson, gives a vivid
picture of the deplorable situation of
affairs in that State. Here is an ex.
tract from his letter:
90 You have never conceived of the abuse,
the cruelty, the premeditated butchery now
practised upon the colored race in this region
and the bordering counties of Texas. Not a
day or night passes but what many victims are
murdered by the white confederate citizens. In
some instances the muiderers black their faces
and dress up like negro troops, go through the
country robbing and killing all classes. One
day saw three bodies (colored) floating down
the river at this place one with his throat cut,
one with his brains blown out, and the other
mangled. The work Of death is going on all
the time, but on the increase. A short time
ago, q black man led by his little boy called
upon me. He had both eyes put out by gun
shot because he would not renew his contract
to work when, he said, his master refused to
pay him under the old contract. All his fami-
ly were threatened with death aud turned out
of their cabin, while he, blind and starving,
was trying to find a shelter for them. All
around in the country is one tale of abuse,
woe and misery, the master taking vengeance
because his slaves are free. Their suffering
beggars description"
Yet with testimony of this kind in.
creasing daily, there are those who ar.
que that the rebel States should be inn
mediately clothed with all their former
power and the freedmen left to their
control. To do so would be to give
them into the hands Of their former
masters, to cut them off from the
means of education--in short to place
them in condition infinitely worse
than that of slavery. Not only this
but those State Governments would
all discriminate in favor of rebels and
rebel doctrines. Their Congressmer
and public men in every capacity
would do all in their power to bank
rupt the Government, to plunge it i'm
to difficulties with foreign powers-iI
fine, to do what they failed to do un
der the leadership of Davis and Lee
After four years of war, with its enor
nous losses and burdens, shall all tina
was gained and all that may be Sc
cured for liberty and peace be surren
dered into the hands of unrepentan
and malignant traitors 7 If loyal peo
pie would prevent this terrible calami
ty, let them stand firmly by the nobl
majority in Congress Let no paltr,
; considerations of Office or place con
troll either the action of the people o
of their representatives. Stand nm fo