Arizona weekly citizen., 1883-11-10
J. 5. MORGAN.
\ Citizen of Tucson Who Issued the First
 Emanc.p patton Proclamation.


 It s not generally known that the Emanc.p patton Proclamation issued by Presldeu; Lincoln was not the frst one that had set African slaves free on American soil, yet such IS the fact. Fherei is gentleman, Q resident and citizen of Tucson, James s. Morgan, who or-anized the 90th New York volunteers ID Brooklyn, in December, 1861. He was commissioned Colonel of the regimert and on New Years, 1862, he sailed on the stea ms- Illinois with his regiment, con- sisiiag of l,0I7 men, for Key West. They arrived there J. suuary !, 1862 Colonel Morgan stationed four com pauies on the celebrated Tortugas at Fort Jefferson, and retained six com pauies at tue Key West post. During the summer of 1862 the yellow fever sp- peared. The soldiers began to die at the rate of eight to ten per day, and the situation became desperate. COmmuni- cation with them was entirely cut of They could only get news by sending out a pilot boat and intercept the pass ing California steamers.
 Appeal for help was made to the resi- dents, but theIr sympathies were all with the C1ufede ates. Remarks were heard that 'Ihe yellow ia K has got the s-s uf b-s. and let him keep them" Colonel Morgan then got the regimentsl chaplain to seek Eld from the church hsa~ .f~ q ftr FFa sympathy with rhe residents. The fever became SO Oai that mt one man out of the slx com anles was left for guard duty. COlonel Morgan himself was taken down with the fever. The chap lam was the only man Ot the whole reg ment wholly we'll The matter then stood this way: All were sick with the yellow fever. All communication was cut of all the residents refused 10 help or respond to the commonest die tates of hGmanity. No word could be got Co Major General David Hun ter, in South Carolina, command lug the Department of the Gulf, If which Colonel Morgan WIS the enior calouel. There was only one source of help left, and that was from the African slaves at hey West But
  Mallory, of the Jeff Davis cabinet, and the remainder were owned by hostile residents Hesitation about taking this nelp would be the death of many valu aOie hves. The help could only oe procured by freeing the slaves: and the time had now come i0- action. The exigencies of the hour demanded their emancipation. Cropped I'D ID hIs bed, with a body racked with pain and mind enieebled by the dis ease, Colonel Morgan >ent for the chap n, and about the middle Of August, iSj3, dictated the proclamation. By re- quest Colonel Morgan has reproduced It from memory. Ills son in Brooklyn has the original document
 THE FERMENTATION PROCLAMATION. HEADQUARTERS 9UEH REGIMENT,
 NEw YORK VOLUNTEERS,
 KEY WEST, FLORIDA, [
 August -, 1862. In view of the prevailing epidemic now among the officers and soldiers O. JLis command, and the necessity of con- peteut nurses. IL Is hereby ordered that ! al persons of African descent held ID l bondage residing upon thls island, who l may come to these headquarters with a | vlew of attending upou the fever stricken ] command shall be hereafter free from l their former bondage. By command of
 J. .. MORGAN,
 Col. SOth hegt. \. !. V,
 Commanding Post.
 This was four months before Abra- ham Lincoln, commander in chief of the | army, that an infantry colonel issued l the first official document bestOwIng 1 ! berty EpOn the black slaves. As re- suit Of the proclamation sIIty-.wo ne- groes came forward, and accepted their Teedom. They at once began nursing the soldiers. All not too far gone re- covered. The New York Herald opened its 5roais.des on The colonel, calling him "a black aoOlltionist and saying he should 4t once be dismissed from the service for such high handed proceeding. No official tee was taken of the matter. but privately General Hunter and oth- CTS told Colonel Morgan that they "glor- led ID his spuDk.' There were eight loyal residents lt Key West, who after the epidemic lad ceased presented the regiment with Q flag. At he presentation, in the re- ,p1nse Colonel Morgan told them ID --irreuce 20 the emancipation proclama- hon he had issued that "of every one Of .L5se. soldiers which stand before yOu lere, hIs life Is worth more to their sisters, wives and sweethesrts aan Eli the slaves in the Sout hern Con- eieracy.' About a month after Colonel Morgan had issued bis proclamation. nd was receiving such rounds of abuse rom the New York Herald ana other Hu-uals ot that IlE, the President made Iubhc announcement that m one hun fred days be would issue his emancips- lon proclamation, setting all slaves free, B hich be did January ], 1883.