The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1891-08-11

WASHINGTON, D. O.. Aug. 7th, 1891.
MY FRIEND AND William
d. Matthews, OF Leavenworth, who
during the CIVIL war served as First
Lieutenant and Captain of an indie
pendent Light Battery, U. s. Colored
Nolunteers, and who snow o pensioner
OF the D. s. on account OF exposure,
ETC., sends me copy OF your paper of
cd, Is he fraud" do not know
the slanderer whose. paragraph you
quote. and Judging him by his Lam
guage and the spirit thereof. l do
not desire to know him, but most
alphabetically declare as to Captain
Matthew's, gallant soldier and hon
orable patriot, colored man as he Is,
that your question can be answered In
the negative. Captain Matthewsis not
a fraud. have the best of reasons for
personally knowing his record from
1858 to 1866 Since then nay relations
have been those of friend and com-
rade, though not meeting again till
quite recently.
am authority for the article in the
st. Louis Globe-Democrat copied into
the UeayenWorth Times and from that
paper by you, as am informed. VIII
liam d. Mathews, q man OF color, kept
q restaurant In Leayenworth from
1858 to the latter part of 1851. White
men OF repute boarded and lodged in
the house. l have done SO myself.
personally know, as conveyed fugl-
tive slaves there, that Mathews aided
and protected the unfortunate OF his
: own race, us IL lin bonds with them.
In fact his place was an underground
railroad station. In the summer OF
1852. Augusta U. s. Senator James ii.
Lane returned to Kansas as Recruit
Ing Commissioner, and had authority
from the Secretary of War, Edwin M.
Stanton, to recruit one or more regi-
: ments OF volunteer infantry to be
composed OF men Of African descent"
, was the first officer (white) mustered
In, having been appointed first lleuten-
! ant and acting ad1utant for recruiting
purposes. My muster bears date Au-
gust 4th, 1862. William d. Mathews
received in my presence from Senator
!. Lane (under authority of his war de-
partment commiseion) an appoint
ment as a second lieutenant and re-
cruiting officer.
, The mastering office at Fort Leaven.
worth refused to muster Mathews in
t on such appointment as he was man
OF color. Under Lanes advice and
!. promise to arrange the muster when
a the regiment was TO be mustered ill.,
: Matthews did not press the question
/. then, but remained in camp. with the
recruits, OF whom he obtained not less
| than 800. His services lasted from
August 1862, to May 1853 He has new
: er received u penny of pay, though he
aided materially In keeping the com
mand together. He was In charge Of
Company ID"
On the 18th OF January, 1868, six com
panies were mustered in. A mont
y later, l received from Washington
copy Of telegraph order signed by Col
g Vincent, A. A. c., In charge OF Bureat
4 of colored troops, directing the mus
u tering officer by order of the secretary
! OF war. to muster as a commissions,
3 officer, into the list Reg't Kansas Col
q ored Vol. lnf'y. afterwards 1854, know
as the 10Th U. s. q. T., civilian u
Matthew'S q man of color" When
i, early in May, the Regimental organi
o zation was fully completed, Matthew
was absent gathering In men who wer
/ ''absent without leaye.n On his arriva
In camp abe roll of officers was com
= plete and he could not be mustered
| have always thought there was SOM
collision in the transaction.
Matthews thus barred out of his 20
sition, returned to Leavenworth. H
was appointed on the police fore
D there by Col. Daniel r. Anthony, the
d Mayor of the city. He was also EN-
IS ployed by the provost marshal an
probably obtained some colored II
cruits also for Massachusetts, whic
state was active about those days 1
~ filling some Related colored regiments
= During the spring OF 1864, ! wa
. again on stan service at Fort Leaven
worth and Gen. Samuel r. Curtis Col
Iowa) was in command. The genera
lie needed a light battery. The quota o
re kanas was several times over full.
% seized the occasion to suggest tn
1t recruiting of "a colored battery
10 to DO commanded by colore,
officers. The suggestion was accepte
and the battery WIS ilnally mustered
with Henry Ford Douglas (of Illinois
- list Lieutenant; Patrick Henry Min OF
y and William Copeland as 2nd Lieuter
ant.
This battery served in the campaig
of 1864 against the Confederate arm
under Lieutenant General SterlinI
Price. Lieutenant Minor WAS in m
division with a section, and at on
time under my immediate command
Lieutenant Matthews was ut Fol
Scott. and for some time commando
- that post, garrisoned by the men MAJ
ihiit5 IVY Vi hi9 bttltNl an
a considerable number OF white mil
tia. Lieutenant Copeland was wit
Matthews. believe Capt. Dough-
was sick and died shortly after, whe
Matthews was promoted to the eal
- taincy of his battery, aud he was mu
ii tered out IN the early summer of 1S6l
at as such officer.
~ | am inf rmed that on his return {
u. Ieaycnworth he was made a justice {
the peace.
" These are the plain facts. The
ri show that William ID. Matthews
III mot fraud" but he has on tho co
i'm trary rendered honorable service /
= his country and race. For the gener
t. accuracy OF these statements, am +
"a sponsible. Yours respectfully,
lc RICHARD j. HINTON
N. Late of U. S. Col. Troops. 10Th and s.
: Regts,, &. A. L. Dept. OF Potomac.
Le