The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-02-14
BLACK, BLUE AND GREY

| From the st. Louis Republican.
The FOrty-third congress contains larg,
number of members who, during the war
wore the blue, a no inconsidcrable number o
those who wore the grey, and n marked
Isprinkling of those who, in war or in peace
wear the black. The strange intermixturC
imparts piquancy to the proceedings which
they never had before. We had Northern
men and Southern men in congress before the
war, but never black man, and it is, per
haps, not to be wondered at that some South
ern men, and even a few Northern men, ex
perience some difficulty in getting used tc
the phenomenon. 1t is very natural that all
! three classes should now and then revert to
the great CONFUSION that has tumbled them
together in such a strange relation, and hence
interesting historic references to the war are
| frequent in the discussions in the house
Sometimes these references are sharp; usual
! ly, however, they are gOod-tempered and
marked with mutual respect, and yield valu
able "reminiscences of what Will be for gener
atoms the supreme historic event in our his
tory. The recent debate on the Civil.rights
bill brought the qualities of the black man
into consideration, as the key to the question
of the propriety Of investing him with the So
cial privileges proposed IN the measure, and
Mr.. Butler OF Massachusetts gave a narrative
which, whether true or not, was told with IN
effectiveness that will probably make 1t a le
gend of the war 1t was about the charge of
the colorcd brigade on the rebel redoubt at
New Market, on the north side of James rlv.
er, on the Goth of September, 1864 The work
was defended (Mr Butler says by one thous
and Of the enemy; the charging column was
three thousand strong and it moved at dou
BILE quick, with uncapped muskets, now bro
ken and wavering before the deadly fire Of
the enemy, but CALAMITY reforming, clearing
the abattis i'll front of the work, and, with
shout that now rings in my ears, they wen
over that rcdOubt like u flash, and the enemy
never stopped running for four miles" Wha
he saw after the battle, and what effect it had
on him, are thus related:
at became my painful duty, sir, to follow
in the track of that charging column, and
there, in space not wider than the clerks
desk, and three hundred yards long lay the
dead bodies of five hundred and forty.threc
of my colored soldiers, slain in defence of
their country, and who had lain down their
lives to uphold its flag and its honor as a
willing sacrifice; and rs rode along among
them, guiding my horse this way and that
way lest he should profane with his hoofs
what seemed to me the sacred dead, and as |
looked on their bronzed faces upturned in the
shining sun to heaven, as if in mute appeal
against the wrongs of that country for which
they had given their lives, and whose flag
had only been to them a flag of stripes on
which no star Of glory had ever shone for
them-fceling | had wronged them in the
past, and believing what was the future OF
my country to them-among my dead com.
rades there | swore to myself q solemn oath
May my right hand forget its cunning and
my tongue clcave to the roof of my mouth, il
ever fail to defend the rights of these men
who have given their blood for my country
this day and their race forever and. Goo
helping me, | will keep that oath. IGrea
Applause on the floor and in the galleries i
4 II this graphic story had been told by som,
one else than the gentleman from MaSsachu
sets, 1t would net have been disputed Tn,
public recollection has failed To connect tina
gentleman with any fea, of valor during tn,
war, and this perhaps, is IA c explanation o
the pretty severe criticism TO which his New
Market episode has been subjected Nh
Robbins of North Carolina, in the course o
his reply TO Mr.. Buffers speech, made thi
reference to the affair:
being absent, wounded at the date spokcl
i of By the gentleman from Massachusetts, o