The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1868-09-24

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ing skeleton.
"De boorao amt no good to me, f"
she said. "Dey only cares Tor dem
dat ken take care of demselves."
NEGRO INTURREcTIoN AGAINST
UNITED STATES TRoops.-The-Na-
tiomal Mtelligencer, of Friday, says
"We invite the attention of thought
full .men to the subjoined extracts
from letter of gallant officer in
the United States service to friend in
thiscity, in relation to the recent lat-
tempted hanging ola colored nNab by
an armed force ofnegroes on the Com
bahee. in the State of South Carroll
mp. Heaven knows We take no pleas
ure in publishing an account oRan
affair which is significant of the state
of feeling existing amongst the col
ored population there that is preg-
nant with mischief to the people of
that unhappy State, and with danger
to the country at large. This story
it will be seen, is told with no tinge
of partisanship. It a plain, unvar-
nished narrative of facts, coming from
an officer, who having no sinister pur-
pose to serve, narrates what occurred
in direct, soldierly way, exactly as
it happened:
"On Monday, August 23rd, a
courier arrived at my camp and re-
ported that the cololed men on the
Combahee river were under arms and
that they had one of their own color
whom they were going to hang. /
referred him to the sheriff of the
county, who at once came to me
and begged to suppress the riot, as he
was perfectly powerless to do SO. ]
at once started with twenty men of
my command, and arrived near the
river 9 little before daylight next
morning. We found tie negroes had
pickets posted, who fired their mus
kets as we approached, to give warn
ing to their comrades. I, therefore,
waited until daylight, when I,pro-
posed to release their prisoner, and
break up their military organization.
As daylight approached we moved
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der. The negro whom they called
captain said he would surrender to
me, but he never would surrender to
the civil authorities.
4 released the man whom they
we're going to hang, took the leader
of the mob, and started back toward
camp, thinking the affair over, and
had gone about two miles when a
volley was poured into us from the
bushes, slightly wounding one of
my men. The attacking party num-
bered about two hundred negroes,
well armed and equipped. My men
began to use their breech- h-loaders to
an effect that they killed two and
wounded several and took over one
hundred of them prisoners, among
whom were six whom they called lieu
tenants, three captains, a major and
a chaplain. released all but the so.
called officers, who are now in jail
waiting trial by the civil authorities.
I don't think the rioters belonged
to- either political party, and the
whites had no hand in the disturbance
at all. The blacks in that part of the
State number at least ten to one ot
whites, and they think it is the same
all over the country.
They said they had been promised
forty acres of land, and they were
going to have it if they had to fight
for it. I asked them why they frec
on us, and they said it was because
they fought for the rights oftheil
race; and the reason they were going
to hang the man Hector was becanse
they thought he ought not to live
any longer. The leaders told mt
they we're lighting for their race, ant
that as the war had begun they
meant to spare neither age nor sex
l believe their intention was t.
sieze the rice crops, drive or kill th'
the few whites in that vicinity, ant
set up in life for themselves just as w
have seen some of the mexicans d'
when they were on the border. l fee
confident that but for prompt actor
in the matter untold atrocities worlt
have been committed. The attal
created great excitemeutin cur neigh
bcrhood, and Governor Scott issue'
g. proclamation calling on the la'
abiding citizens throughout the Stat
to aid him in putting down armed or
ganizations."