The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1906-01-04
WAR OF THE REBELLION.
(Coutinued from page Ii

with the United States exerting it's pro-
lection over them. Everywhere that
Banks went he was to carry the olive
branch and endeavor to bring the peo-
peaceful, loyal citizens Of the United
States
Enlisting Negro Troops.
One thing alone would have blighted
Banks's efforts. IL failure had not been
predestined by other causes, which no
politician was able to comprehend. The
war had reached the point where 1t
had to be fought out. The time for
Cancellation and compromise had long
since passed. The contest had now to
go on to the bitter end of complete de-
feat for one side and triumph for the
other. Nothing less would satisfy the
men on both sides who had staked all
upon the issue of battle.
That which now appeared to blight
all of Bankss work was that he was
a consistent and radical Abolitionist,
and that he entered upon the carrying
out of the Emancipation Proclamation
with a zeal to be expected of man
Of his views and antecedents. He did
not content; ~....tsaself with any formal
support of the policy wi..".h MAD peen
announced in the Presidents Proclama-
ton of a few weeks befOre-Jan. l,
1S63-but he welcomed it as authority
to do that which he ardently wished.
Still further, he was believer in arm
ing the negroes. Butler, with his shrewd
pettifogging, had formed a couple of
colored regiments upon the basis of
Color" authorized by the laws Of Lou
isiana, and in existence at the time he
took the city. Banks rose superior to
such a subterfuge. and gave the last
mortal offense by entering upon a pol
icy of organizing regiments from the
cln he h06 I,n ENry,o n
cipation Proclamation. No matter how
many other things he might do to COM
mend himself to the white people of
Louisiana, this last act made them hate
him even worse than they did Butler.
Butler had adopted for his organiza-
lions the name he had found upon the
statute books of Louisiana, 1.-THE Ma
tive Guards" Banks adopted another
title, Corps d'Afrique." and obtained
superb material for this in the country
in which his army was operating. He
may be said to be really the first to
actually put large bodies Of negro
troops into service.
May / at OpelOusas he issued orders
for the organization of a corps of Is
regiments of colored infantry to con-
sist Of 500 men each. These troops were
to form distinct command. Brig
Gen. Daniel Ullman had come to New
Orleans from New York with authority
to raise a brigade of colored troops,
and brought with him full compile
ment of officers. The two colored regi-
ments already in service, the 1st and
Sd La. Native Guards, were put into
the Corps d'Afrique, and Ullman gath
cred up about 1,400 likely men for five
other regiments, the 9Th, 7th, Sth, Sth
and 10th Corps d'Afrique. There were
no arms for these recruits, but they did
good work in the pioneer service. A
regiment of carefully-selected colored
Ill flo set II
ENGINEERS, to consist of three battalions
of four companies each, under white
officers, also very carefully chosen from
veterans. This regiment was about
1000 strong, with a usual present-for-
duty strength of about 500, and it made
q very creditable record through the
war under the command Of Col. JUS
tin Hodge.
Banks's Mental Mutations.
Gen. Banks spent a week at Alexan-
dria making up his mind what to do
next At first he seemed inclined to
continue the purerit Of Taylor to
Shreveport, $50 miles further up the
river. He was soon made to see the
impolicy of this. 1t was pretty certain
small bands, the pursuit of which by
the army would be like hunting rab-
bits on dray. Before Banks could
march to Shreveport Kirby Smith, see
ing the objective Of the movement
might gather from the forces in Ar
army than Banks would arrive at
Shreveport with. In fact, Kirby Smith
had already issued orders looking to
this.
Then Banks began hoping for CO.
operation from Grant in an attack upon
Port Hudson, with Grant sending down
10000 men and steamboats, enough to
carry Banks's men down the Red River
This hope was shattered by receiving
letter from Grant stating that he was
In the midst of his overland campaign
against Vicksburg, and needed every
That cooperation was out of the ques-
ton for the present. Grant wanted
Banks to come to his assistance in re-
ducfng Vicksburg. when the combined
armies would turn upon Port Hudson
and speedily capture 1t. Grant had
however, sent no transports, and the
problem was how to get the men from
Alexandria down to the Mississippi
through the intricate series Of bayous
rivers and swamps. Steamboats, seemed
to be an absolute requirement. Banks
could not see anything but to go back
the long route by the way of Opelousas
to Brashear City and thence to New
Orleans and up the river, which would
require at least two months, during
which time things might change sc
that there would be no need of such 9
movement. May IL Banks issued the
orders to begin this movement, but hi.
engineers succeeded in convincing him
that the march could be made dowr
the Red River, crossing the Atchafa.
laya, the most important of the obsta.
cles In their way, at Simmesport by
means of what steamboats, they had an6
other craft that could be secured. He
recalled his first order, and directed
the main column to begin the move
ment on Simmesport, with demonstra.
tons in other directions to conceal this
from the enemy.
An Astounding Procession.
Chickering's Brigade-the 41st anG
SID Mass, 22d and 26th Me-, Goth anl
114th n. Y, the 18th Conn., and Snow.
section Of Nims's Battery-was assign.
ed the unpleasant and tiresome bu
highly necessary duty of guarding bacl
over the way by which the army hat
come several miles of wagons, 5000
negroes. 1000 horses and 1900 beeves
altogether most motley and astonish
Ing procession, and something that die
not have any likeness during the wal
unless in Sherman's March to the Sea
The nerveless condition into which
the enemy had been reduced was shown
by their allowing this heterogeneous ar
ray to march the long distance by then
xyith nly fpx.n