Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1866-11-09
The Negro as a Soldier.

At Detroit, a few evenings since,
General Butler delivered powerful
speech, in the course of which he gave
the following graphic account of a
charge made by a colored division of
the army of the James, and the cap
ture of Newmarket Heights-one of
the bloodiest incidents of the war;
The valor displayed by the negro
soldiers Of the Republic on that occa-
sion is hardly surpassed in the history
lof military exploits throughout the
world:
"In 1854, September 29th, 1 was
ordered by the commanding General
OF the armies to take the works on
Newmarket Heights, on the north
oank of the James River. The works
were Of great sIrengtn, anu Gne pos1U-
ion was in fact the key to Richmond.
! A large redoubt was built upon the
top of the hill In front of it were
two lines of abattis, one at the distance
Of about fifty and the other at fifteen
yards. In front of these lines was a
marsh, in front of that ditch, and be-
fore the ditch a plain of about three
hundred and fifty yards in length
On that plain put 5000 colored sol
diers in column of division; closed in
mass, Their guns were at right
shoulder shift, and the caps were taken
from the cones of the guns lest they
should stop and fire, for | believed
that if any column even stopped under
fire OF that fort it would never start
again under its fire and make a sue
cessful charge. | said to them let
your war cry be, Remember Fort
Pillow" and take that work on the
double quick. The column started
forward, one living mass of energetic
lie. 1t struggled through the marsh,
waded through the brook and over the
ditch, broke a little, gathered itself
up in solid form once more again, and
went forward, reaching the first line
of abattis under a murderous fire and
cries from the rebels of "Come on,
you cursed negroes we want your
arms" pressed through the second
line, reached the work itself, and
mounting the parapet, burst over the
fortifcation, while the rebels, once
started, never stopped running for
four miles. And why? Because the
rebels themselves remembered Fort
Pillow, while Gems. Stcadman and
Custer at Cleveland found it convent
ent to forget it when the murderer
Forrest sent a whining dispatch tC
them. When, a few moments there
after, |, as commanding General, will
my staff rode on that clear September
f day over the plain and through the
marsh; ma i following t he advance Of tht
, column, | found as | carefully guideC
my horse hither and thither lest hC
should tread upon the sacred bodies
OF the dead and dying, that, in tina
pool Of carnage lay five hundred ant
forty-six dead bodies of my colore(
soldiers, their faces upturned to Hea
ven, the sunlight streaming acros
them, as in mute appeal for justice t.
their race, in whose behalf they hat
laid down their lives, and | took al
=. oath that my right hand should forge
| its cunning and my tongue cleave t
D the roof of my mouth, if | ever faile,
to insist upon justice to the race Of
f those men who there laid down thei
lives fighting for the maintenance an
= support of a country which had bee
: to them only one of bondage an
4 slavery. Have kept my vow Q
e not? Of this judge ye, judge ye."