The Cecil Whig., 1885-07-11
"ABE'S" FAST FRIEND.
Frederick Douglass Describes His First
and Last Interview with Lincoln.

hLnO iii1'i ~" WIN WI. lLihCoiu
was in the summer of 1868, soon after
tho Confederate States had declared
their purpose to treat cOlored soldiers as
insurgents, and their purpose not to treat
any such soldiers as prisoners of war sub
ject to change like other soldiers.
| was introduced to Mr.. Lincoln on
this occasion by Senator Pomery, of
Kansas. | met him at the Executive
Mansion. | was somewhat troubled with
the thought of meeting one so august
and high in authority, especially as had
mover been in the White House before
and had never spoken to President of
the United States. But my embarrass-
ment soon vanished when met the face
of Mr.. Lincoln.
When | entered he was seated in low
chair. surrounded by multitude of
books and papers. His feet and legs
were extended in front of his chair. On
my approach he slowly drew his feet in
from the different parts of the room into
which they had strayed, and he began to
rise, and continued his rise until he
looked down upon me, and extended his
hand and gave me welcome. began,
with some hesitation, to tell him who
was and what had been doing, but he
soon stopped me, saying in a sharp, cor
dial voice: You need not tell me who
you are, Mr.. Douglass. l know who you
are; Mr.. Seward has told me all about
you" He then invited me to take a seat
beside him.
WHAT DOUGLASS ASKED.
said: "Mr. Lincoln, am recruiting
colorcd troops. l have assisted in fitting
up two regiments in Massachusetts, and
am now at work in the same way in
Pennsylvania, and have come to say this
to you, sir: If you wish to make this
branch of the service successful, you
must do four things:
''First, you must give colored soldiers
the same pay that you give white sol.
diers.
'Second, you must compel the Confed-
crate States to treat colored soldiers,
when taken prisoners, as prisoners of
war.
Third, when any colored man or SOL
der performs brave, meritorious exploits
in the field, you must enable me to say
to those that | recruit that they will be
promoted for such service, precisely as
white men are promoted for similar SER
vice.
Fourth, in case any colored soldiers
are murdered in cold blood and taken
prisoners, you should retaliate in kind"
To this little speech, Mr.. Lincoln list
ened with earnest attention and with
very apparent sympathy, and replied to
each point in his own peculiar, forcible
way. First he spoke of the opposition
generally to employing negroes as SOL
diers at all, of the prejudice against the
race, and of the advantage to colored
people that would result from their being
employed as soldiers in defence of their
country. He regarded such an employ
ment as an experiment, and spoke of the
advantage it would be to the colored race
if the experiment should succeed. He
said that he had difficulty in getting COL
orcd men into the United States uniform;
that when the purpose was fixed to en-
pley them as soldiers, several different
uniforms were proposed for them, and
that it was something gained when it
was finally determined to clothe them
like other soldiers.
Now, as to the pay, VIC had to make
some concession to prejudice. There
were threats that if we made soldiers of
them at all white men would not enlist,
would not fight beside them. Besides, it
was not believed that a negro would
make good soldier, as good soldier as
white man, and hence it was thought
that he should not have the same pay as
a white man. But said he, II assure
you, Mr.. Douglass, that in the end they
shall have the same pay as white SOL
diers." AS to the exchange and general
treatment of colored soldiers when taken
prisoners of war, he should insist to
their being entitled to all the privileges
of such prisoners.
OPPOSED TO vICARIOUS SLAUGHTER
Mr.. Lincoln admitted the Justice of my
demand for the promotion of colored
soldiers for good conduct in the field, but
on the matter of retaliation he differed
from me entirely. l shall never forget
the benignant expression of his face, the
fearful look of his eye and the quiver in
his voice, when he deprecated resort to
resaliatory measures. "Once begun"
said he, Il do not know where such q
measure would stop" He said he could
not take men out and kill them in cold
blood for what was done by others. If
he could get hold of the persons who were
guilty of killing the colored prisoners
in cold blood. the case would be differ
ent; but he could not kill the innocent
for the guilty.
Before leaving Mr.. Lincoln, Senator
Pomcroy said: "Mr. President, Mr.. Stan
ton is going to make Douglass Adjutant-
General to General Thomas, and is going
to send him down the Mississippi to re-
cruit.''
Mr.. Lincoln said, in answer to this: 81
will sign any commission that Mr.. Stan.
ton will give Mr.. Douglass" At this
point we parted.
met Mr.. Lincoln several times after
this interview. l was once invited by
him to take tea with him at the Soldiers
Home. On one occasion, while visiting
him at the White House, he showed me
letter he was writing to Horace Gree.
ley in reply to some of Greeley's criti-
cisms against protracting the war. He
seemed to feel very keenly the reproaches
hcaped upon him for not bringing the
war to speedy conclusion; said he was
charged with making it an Abolition
war, instead of war for the Union, and
expressed his desire to end the war as
soon as possible. While was talking
with him Governor Buckingham sent in
his card, and was amused by his telling
the messenger, as we'll as by the way ne
expressed it, to tell Governor Bucking-
ham to wait, l want to have long talk
with nv fr;apJ n4urI,oc uo ,,,oJ tho,o