Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-03-07
Whole Number 1864.

IOh dAOo LhO AANOAs OA InGAI BAfeAAlg
when the flash of dawn was break
ing, l placed a column of three
thousand colOred troops, in close
column my division, right in front,
with guns at "right soldier shift. ?"
L said: "That mark must be ia
ken by the weight of our columns;
no shots must be fred" and to pre-
vent their firing 1 had the caps taken
from the nibbles of their guns. Then
| said, ''you cry when yon charge.
will be remember Fort Pillow -
and as the sun rose up in the heay-
ems, the order was given, ''Forwardr'
and they marched forward, steadily
as if on parade-went down the
hill, acsoss the marsh, and as
they got into the brook they came
within range of the enemy's fire,
which opened vigorously upon them.
They broke a little as they forded
the brook, and the columns wavered
a little. o, it was a moment of the
inteDtest anxiety, but they formed
again as they reached firm ground,
marching steadily on with closed
ranks under the enemy's fire, until
the head of the column reached the
first line of abattis, some one hun
dred and fifty yards from the enc
my work. Then the ax-man ran
to the front to cut away the heavy
distractions of defense, while one
thousand men of the enemy with
their artillery concentrated from the
redoubt poured a heavy fire upon
the head of the column which was
hardly wider than the clerks desk.
The ax-men went down under the
murderOus fire; other strong hands
grasp the axes in their stead, and
the abattis is cut away. Again, at
double quick, the column goes for
ward to within fifty yards of the
fort, to meet there another line of
abattis. The column halts. And
there fire of hell is pouring upon
them. The abattis resists and holds
and the head of the column seemed
literally to melt away under the rain
of shot and shell, the flags of the
leading regiment go down, but
brave black hand seizes the colors;
they are up again and wave their
starry light over the storm of bat
tie; again the ax-men fall, but strong
hands and willing hearts seize the
heavy sharpened trees and drag
them awav, and the column forward,
and with shout that now rings in
my ear, they went over that redoubt
like flash, and the enemy never
stopped running for four miles,
Applause on the floor and in the
galleries.)
1t became my painful duty, sir, to
follow in the track of that charging
column, and there, in a space not
wider than the clerks desk and three
hundred yards long, lay the dead
bodies of five hundred and forty
three of my colored soldiers, slain
in defense of their country, and who
had lain down their lives to uphold
its flag and its honor as a willing
sacrifice; and as l rode among them,
guiding my horse this way and that
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 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 shown from them-feeling l
had wronged them In the past and
believing what was the future of
my country to them-among my
dead comrads then l swore to my
self solemn oath, 'may nay right
hand forget its cunning and my
tongue cleave to the roof of my
mouth if | ever fail to defend the
rights of these men who have given
their blood for me and my country
this day and for their race forever;"
and God helping me, l will keep
that oath. Great applause on the
floor and in the galleries.
From that hour all prejudice was
gone, and an old-tiRSe states-right
democrat a lover Of the negro
race; and as long as their rights are
equal to the rights of other Aaen un-
der this government l am With them
against all comers, and when their
rights are assured, and all other
mems rights are held sacred, then,
trust, we shall have what we ought
to have, a united country. North
and South. white and black, under
one gloriOas flag, for which we and
our fathers have fought with an
equal and not 70 be distinguished
valor. AppIaAseI
Now, Mr.. Speaker, these men
have fought for their country; one
of their representatives has spoken,
d IeW can speak OH talS QOOr, TOT
his race; they have shows them
selves our equals in battle; as !citi-
zens they are kind, quite temperate,
laborious; they have shown hhat
they know how to exercise the right
of suffrage which we have given to
them, for they always vote right; );
they vote the republican ticket, and
the powers of death and hell can
not persuade them to do otherwise.
Laughter. They show that they
knew more than their masters did,
for they always knew how to be
loyal. They have industry, they
have temperance, they have all the
good qualities of citizens, they
have bravery, they have culture,
they have power, they have elo-
quence. And who shall say chat
they shall not have what the con-
stltution gives them--equal rights
[Applause.l
HOW u Michigan Girl Can Wres1Ie.
A young lady of Trenton Village,