The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1910-02-24
Savannah, Ga, Jan. -, 1865.

r. G. BRABHAM.
Savannah, Ca, Jan. -, 1865.
Maj. Gen. Halleck-My Dear Friend:
l received yours Of Jan. 1st about
the negro" Since Mr.. Stanton got
here we talked over all matters free
ly, and l deeply regret that 1 am
threatened with that curse to all
peace and comfort-popularity. But
trust to bad luck enough in the
future to cure that, for I know
enough of ''the people" to feel that
single mistake made by some of my
subordinates will tumble down my
fame into infamy. But the niger?
Why in Gods name can't sensible
men let them alone? When the peo-
pie of the South tried to rule US
through the negro and became inso-
lent, we cast them down, and on that
question we are strong and unani-
nous. Neither cotton, the negro nor
any single interest or class should
govern us. But 1 fear, if you be
right, the power behind the throne
is growing. Somebody must meet it
or we are again involved in war with
another class Of fanatics. Mr.. Lin
coin has boldly met the one attack.
Now let him meet the other. If it be
insisted that so conduct my opera
tions that the negro is consulted, Of
course I will be defeated, and then
where will be Sambo? Don't mill
tary success imply the safety of and
vice versa? Of course that cock-and-
bull story Of my turning back ne
groes that Wheeler might kill them
is all humbug. l turned nobody
back. jeff C.. Davis did at Ebenezer
Creek forbid certain plantation
slaves-old men, women and children
Ito follow his column, but they
would come along, and he took up his
pontoon bridge, not because he want
ed to leave them but because he
wanted his bridge. He and Slocum
tell me that they don't believe Wheel
er killed one of them. Slocum's
column (3O,000) reports 1900 ne
groes. Now with 1900 wagons and
the necessary impediments of an
army overloaded with two-thirds ne
groes, ive-sixths of whom are help
less, and large proportion of them
babies and small children, had l en-
countered an enemy of respectable
strength defeat would have been GER
tain. Tell the president that il such
an event defeat would have cost him
ten thousand times the effort to over
come that it now will to meet this
new and growing pressure.
1 know the fact that all natural
emotions swing as the pendulum.
These Southerners pulled Sambo's
pendulum so far over that the dan
ger is it will on it's return Jump Oh
its pivot. There are certain people
who will find fault, and they can al
ways get the pretext; but, thank
God, I am not running for office, and
am not concerned because the rising
generation will believe I burned 500
niggers at one pop in Atlanta or any
such-nonsense profess to be the
best kind of friend to Sambo, and
think that on such a question Sam
bo should be consulted. They gather
round me in crowds, and can't find
out whether I am Moses or Aaron,
or which of the prophets, but surely,
7 am rated as one of the congrega-
ton and it is hard to tell in what
sense / am appreciated by Sambo-
in saving him from his master, or
the new master that threatens him
with a new species of slavery. l
mean state recruiting agents. Poor
pegro-Lo, the poor Indian! OF
course sensible men understand such
humbug, but some power must be
invested in our government to check
these wild oscillations of public
oninion. The South deserves all
she has got for her injustice to the