The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-07-21
NEGROES In THE CONFRDERACY.

Their Employment in the Army-TIle
subject suggested by Jefferson Davis.
Edward Spencer IN Philadelphia Weekly
Tfmes.l
/ Nevertheless, the die was cast. The army
could not be recruited any more, and Gen.
Lee, it Is now known, said the cause was lost
unless he was efficiently reinforced before the
winter ended. The Confederate Congress met
on Monday, November T. at noon and as soon
as 1t was organized the message of President
Davis was received In this paper admira-
bly, written, with characteristic courage and
dtfeetness he met and stated the question Of
the hour. Referring to the act of February
~ OF the previous Congress, which, he said,
was less effective than it was expected to be,
ne remarked: "But my present purpose is
tofnvite your consideration to the propriety
OF radical modification in the theory of this
law The slave, he said, was TO be viewed
not only @, property but as o person under
the law His services to the State increased
IN value1n proportion as he became a vet
eran. For this he should be rewarded as well
as his master. He would not advise anything
further Just now than the equitable determi-
nation OF these relations, He was opposed at
present TO the general levy and arming of
slaves as soldiers. But should the alterna-
tive ever be presented OF subiugati6n or of
the employment of the slave as @ soldier.
There seems no reason to doubt what then
should be our decision" In the meantime he
would recommend the training Of 10000 ne
gr0es, under the act Of February II. This
message, In which the duty of the State to
The slaves as persons was fairly and fully and
ably stated opened the whole question at
once. and henceforth the history oil negro en-
ilstments Is recorded In the proceedings Of
the Confederate Congress and the State Leg
1slatuTes. The soldiers in the different camps,
~ soon as the question was agitated among
them, gave 1t their hearty approval and
adopted resolutions to that effect. The poor
fellows were SO hard beset that they welcomed
nn1 q fptrp
Of relief.
Hon. James A. Sedden, Secretary of War,
IN his report, supplemented Mr.. Davis mes
sage with some still stronger reeommenda-
lions Of his own. The slaves, he said, had
even o stronger interest In the victory OF the
gonfederates than the white people, The lat
ler riSked their political independence, but the
per their very existence as race. II the
enemies Of the South should triumph,
would eXtinguish the negroes in O few
rs, as they had already extlnguished the
.tians. He recommended that the States
,9hich had absolute and exclusive control OF
this matter should legisate at once with a
view to the contingency Of negro enlistments
On the next day, In the Confederate Congress,
Senator u. a. Henry, OF Tennessee, and Rep
resentative Wiekhan, of Virginia, introduced
pills to extend and perfect the operations OF
the act q February II. 1854 Il
II there had been time to do 1t, jefferson
Davis would have doubtless conscripted the
u0BEUe5 WHICH bHS law empowered MIN
to call for. But there was not time. The
House concurred In the Senate amendments
on the ninth, by vote OF 80 to n, and the
bill was promptly approved on March ID. On
the fifteenth. the adjutant generals office
gave authority to Major j. w. Pegram and
u: b. Turner to raise company or compa-
niles of negro volunteers at Richmond and |
muster them into the service. These vOlun- |
teers were called for under the several acts |
OF the Confederate Congress and the Legisla- |
ture OF Virginia, and every man was called
upon to constitute himself recruiting Off
Ger. The rendezvous was established at
Smiths factory, Twenty-first street, between |
Main and Cary streets. But this call was |
only made on the tenth of March, and Rich
mond was evacuated on April 2, while Lees
surrender took place on the ninth. The Con-
federate Congress adjourned sine die on the
seventeenth, and the last issue Of the Rich
mond Sentinel, my authority in these mat
tiers, Is dated April /, when Sheridan had
already forced Lees lines. Mr.. Lincoln ap-
parently did not think much Of the Impress
nent and enlistment of slaves. He said in a
speech made at Washington on the seven
zenith Of March, that the negro could not
stay at home and make bread and fight at
the same time, and he did not care much
which duty was allotted to him by the Con-
RederateS. eve must now soon see the bot
tom of the rebels resources"
We hear not much more Of the negro enlist
nnent question. The papers urge the import
ance Of dispatch, patience, discipline. The
EScTuIJluR OllCe Oh Lne JWenUy-nTSJ appAr-
entity got on well, and another office was
opened successfully in Lynchburg. A portion
u the recruits Of Messrs. Pegram and Turner
vent into camp on the north side about the
5wenty-seventh Of March. The Lynchburg
Dapers published a circular of citizens OF
Roanoke county pledging themselves to
smaneipate such Of their negroes of the mill
airy age as would volunteer to enlist, and on
he twenty-eighth the adiutant generals
office at Richmond published its regulations
n regard to negro enlistments. The provi-
lions were merely formal, and did not vary
rom the regulation orders except in one par
1cular-the negroes as enlisted were to be en-
oiled only in companies, under the control of
he inspector general, as the government did
lot contemplate at that time the formation of
dther regiments or brigades Of negroes.
y The Confederate negro soldiers never went
INTO action. On March 80, 81 and April /, the
lentiYset reports the enemy "massed In heavy !
3rce on our right" cavalry skirmishes at
linWiddie Courthouse, heavy fighting on our I
ght, tremendous artillery firing, pertina- !
fous assaults upon Gordon, a great battle
18th no particulars, and then-the curtain de-
cends for good and all, and there Is no more !
puthern Confederacy, much less enlistment
negro volunteers and conscripts to do bat
10 for it,