Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1868-09-18

AN RESURRECTION IN OOUTH CAROLlNA.-
We invite the attention of thoughtful men tt
the suhjoined extracts from letter OF a gallant
officer in the u, S. service to friend in this
city, in relation to the recent attempted hang
Ing OF a colored man by an armed force Of ne
groes on the Cambahee in the State OF South
Carolina. This story, twill be seen, Is tolC
with no tinge of partisauship. 1t is a plain
unvanished narrative OF facts, coming trCm ar
officer who, having 40 sinister purpose to serve,
narrates what occurred 10 a direct, so!dierly
way, exactly as it happened Il National IN
telligcnccr.
"On Monday, September 18th courier ar.
rived at my camp and reported that the colored
men on the Cambahee river we're 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 little before daylight next morn
ing. We found the negroes had pickets posted,
who fred their nuskets as we approached, to
give warning to their comrades. |, therefore,
waited until daylight, when l proposed to re-
lease their prisoner, and break up their military
organization. As daylight approached we
moved down the road, and we're greeted by a
volley from q crowd OF negroes, who were try
ing to form line across the road. My men
charged them, and compelled the N to suTren-
DER The negro whom they called scaptain'
said he would surrender to me, but he never
would surrender to the civil authorities.
Il released the man whom they were going
TO hang, tool, the leaders of the mob and
started back towards camp, thinking the affair
over and had gone about two miles, when a
voIley was poured into us from the bushes,
slightly wouuding one OF my men. The attack
ing party numbered at least two hundred ne
groes, veil armed and equipped My men be-
gan to use their breach leaders to such an effect
that we killed two, wounded several, and took
over one hundred of them prisoners, among
whom were six whom they called Iieutenants.
three captains. and major and a chaplain. |
released all but the so-caed officers, who are
now in jail, waiting trial by the civil authorl-
ties.
II 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 of the
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. | asked them why
they fred on US, and they said it was because
they fought for the rights Of their race; and
the reason they were going to hang the man
Hector, was because they thought he ought not
to live any longer. The leaders tod me they
were fighting for their race, and that as the
war had begun they ment to spare neither age
nor sex.
II believe their intention was to seize the
rice crops, drive away Or xii! the few whites in
that vicinity, and set Up in lite for themselves
just as We have seen some of the Mexicans do,
when we were on the border. feel confident
that but for prompt action in the matter untold
atrocities would have been committed. The
affair created great excitement in our neighbor
hood, and Governor Scott issued proclama-
ton calling On the law abiding citizens through
out the State to aid him 10 putting down arm
ed organizations.