Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1867-03-20

raised under your authority, would re-
specftully request, if consistent with your
views, that application should be made BY
you to the Secretary of War to have such
regiments, on their completion, sent "a
this Department for service.
am happy to announce TO you my
complete and eminent satisfaction, with
the results of the organization Of negro
regiments, in this Department. In the
field, as far as tried, they have proved
brave, active, enduring and energetic.
They never disgraced their uniform by
| pillage, or cruelty, but have so conducted
themselves upon the whole that even our
enemies, though more anxious to ind
fault with these than any other portion OF
our troops, have not been able to allege
against them q single violation of the
rules of civilized warfare. These regi-
ments are hardy, generous, temperate, pa-
tient, strictly obedient, possessing great
natural aptitude for arms. With a Brig
ade of liberated slaves already in the field
few more regiments of intelligent color
ed men from the North, would soon place
this force in a condition to make extern
sive excursions upon the main land,
through the more densely populated slave
regions, and from expeditions of this char
acter, make no doubt, the most benef-
cisl results would arise
OF their conduct in action, Gen. Blunt
says: 'sOne (rebeD Texas regiment went
in with 300 men, and came out with only
sixty. This regiment was opposed TO the
first colored, and the negroes were too
much for them, and let me say here that
1 never saw such fighting done as was
done by the negro troops at the battle of
Honey Springs. They fought like veter-
ans, with q coolness and valor that is un-
surpassed. They preserved their lines
perfect, throughout the whole engagement,
and although in the hottest of the fight
they never once faltered. They exhibit
ed the same Invincible courage and spir1l
wherever they were called into action, at
Port Hudson, at Fort Wagner, and before
Petersburg.
| Let me mention one or two instances
where colored individuals rendered import
ant services. When General Burnside
unfurled the stars and stripes before Ro-
anoke, he saw skiff come padding off to
him, which held single black man. He
came to the General and said: ''This il
deep water that is shoal, this is swamp
and that is firm land, and that Is wood,
there are four thousand men here, and one
thousand there, q cannon here and q re-
| doubt there" Gen. Burnside believed
him. The soldiers forded where the ne
gro bade them, and that colored man gave
to Burnside, Roanoke.
It will be remembered that Robert
| Small, colored Charleston pilot, brought
of the rebel steamer Planter, and deliver
"a L,-Io that Nk1r
steamer was needed on a certain occasion
to go on an expedition where she would
come under the fire Of rebel guns. Hel
white captain refused TO go with the yes
sci. 1 am happy to read an order issued
by 1t. Col. Elwell, an Ohio man:
OFFICE CHIEF QUARTERNIAsTER,
PoRF ROYAL. Nov. 20, 1868.
| Capt. Il. 4. DlntoH, Chief Assistan
Qzartermaster, Folly Lskand:-You vii
please place Robert Small in charge o.
1.-THE q. s. transport Planter, as captain
He brought her out of Charleston harbor,
more than . year ago, running under the
guns of Sumter, Moultrie, and other de-
fenses of that stronghold. he Is an excel
lent pilot, of undeubted bravery. and in
every respect worthy of the POSITION
1 1uL5 - uuc W hin - . RANp AGIOh
of his heroism and services. The present
captain is a coward, though a white man.
Dismiss him, therefore. and give the
steamer to this brave black Saxon.
Respectfully, your obedlent servant,
J. j. ELwELL,
Chief Quartermaster.
1t may be proper to state that Gen.
Gilmore, another Ohio man, approved
the order.
But, Mr.. President, the services oi
colored men in the field. were only 6
small part of the services rendered by
that heretofore despised race durin 2
the rebellion. How many hundreds
of our half naked and starving soldiers
have been clothed, and fed, and pilot
ed through swsmps, and over noun
tains, by negroes at the risk of their
lives, while escaping from rebel prisons.
Wherever a Union soldier in the South
saw a black face, he knew he was look
ing in the face of a friend. Shall ne
show our ingratitude by denying to a
few thousand of this race in Ohio the
full rights of citizenship trust not.
1 regretted to hear my young friend
from Knox, q few weeks since, on this
floor, utter what conceive to be gross
ISLANDERS against the African race. He
said, after representing them as ''in
their habits closely resembling beasts. /"
Mot one step has he ever taken in the
march of human civilization; not one
effort has he ever made in the cause
of human progress; not one contribu-
ton has he ever given to the stores of
human science" ] submit that if this
were true, which deny, cannot see
the relevancy of the argument in its
application to native Americans1of Af-
rican descent. Has the gentleman sv-
er heard of Carthage and Egypt and
Ethiopia? ? Has he not heard of Hanni-
bal, who with an immense army crossed
the Alps, and carried terror and dis
may to the very gates of Romel Has
he never heard of Egypt, for ages the
seat of science, and of its University
of Gu, afterwards called Hilliopolis,
where Pinto studied for fourteen years ?
Has he not heard of the Pyramids, and
Sphynx, and the Temples in the sacred
Island Of Chloe, covered all over with
inscriptions in the sacred tonguel But
it may be said that the Carthagenians
and Egyptians were not negroes. do
not know; neither does the gentleman.
History informs Us that the Egyptians
had curly hair, thick lips, retreating
foreheads, and dark or black complec-
tions. But the gentleman will proba-
bly, admit that the Ethiopians were of
the negro race. 1t was an immense
country, bounded on the North BY
Egypt, East by the Red Sea and Indi-
an Ocean, 1t extended far to the
South; and West almost to the coast
of Guinea. 1t contained at one time no
less than forty-ftve Kingdoms, and was
strong enough 800 years before Christ
to make war with Assyria, then the
strongest Empire in the world, and to
march an army against its capitol, Nj
neVah. 1t contained palaces and tenn
pies, and its Queen, ne are informed
by the sacred historian, made q pill
srimage to Palestine to learn the wis
dom Of Solomon. "And she came to
Jerusalem with . great train, with
camels that bear spices, and very much
gold and precious stones" "And she
gave the king an hundred and twenty
talents of gold and of spices very great
stores and precious stones"
What becomes Of the gentleman's
assertion in reference to the African
racel If the gentleman's assertions
were true, submit that it is not man
" to endeaVor to crush them still low
ar The r1rIAs of ,,,,oii;sfs auar forbid